JD Power Study Ranks Top North American Airports for 2019

Following several years of consistent growth, traveler satisfaction with North American airports has begun to stagnate, according to the J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study for 2019.

This year’s overall customer satisfaction score for North American airports is 762, an increase of only 1 point from 2018. This modest performance can be attributed to lower-than-average facility access scores, with larger numbers of travelers citing construction-related delays getting into and out of the airports.

“With major terminal construction projects now underway in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, and many other airports, it is becoming impossible for travelers not to experience some form of disruption,” said Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power.

“While these projects are absolutely necessary to address surging demand, they are currently causing passenger delays and confusion. This translates into a rushed passenger experience and less money spent on food, beverage, and retail — and it’s slowing the progress of the airport satisfaction we’ve seen in the past several years.”

According to the study, road closures, confusing signage and the delays that come with these construction projects, are making air travel harder on passengers. However, on the bright side, there are several areas that have improved significantly.

The common theme among the top-performing airports — such as Detroit Metropolitan, Portland International, and Indianapolis International — is relatively new facilities that accommodate increased passenger volume, the inclusion of localized food and beverage options, and general ease of access. Airports that can handle larger numbers of passengers, while providing such experiences, see a payoff in the form of improved satisfaction scores.

The 2019 North America Airport Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 32,276 U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport, and covers both departure and arrival experiences (including connecting airports) during the past three months.

Airports are ranked by examining six key factors: terminal facilities; airport accessibility; baggage claim; security check; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage and retail. The report measures overall traveler satisfaction with medium-sized (4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year), large-sized (10 to 32.9 million passengers per year) and mega-sized (33 million or more passengers per year) North American airports.

Here are the top-ranked North American airports:

Medium-sized airports
1. Indianapolis International Airport 
2. Jacksonville International Airport 
3. Buffalo Niagara International Airport 
4. Southwest Florida International Airport
5. Palm Beach International Airport
6. San Antonio International Airport
7. Pittsburgh International Airport
8. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
9. Albuquerque International Sunport
10. General Mitchell International Airport

Large-sized airports
1. Portland International Airport 
2. Dallas Love Field 
3. Tampa International Airport 
4. John Wayne Airport
5. Raleigh-Durham International Airport
6. Vancouver International Airport
7. Sacramento International Airport
8. Nashville International Airport
9. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
10. William P. Hobby Airport

Mega-sized airports
1. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport 
2. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport/Wold 
3. Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
4. Orlando International Airport 
5. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
6. Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International Airport
7. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
8. Denver International Airport
9. George Bush Intercontinental Airport
10. Charlotte Douglas International Airport