Best Airports 2019: 2 Midwest Airports Get Highest Satisfaction Ratings From Travelers

Terminal construction projects, which have produced flight delays and road closures, have ticked off a lot of travelers and are taking a toll on satisfaction with North American airports, a J.D. Power survey released Wednesday indicates.

The 2019 North America Airport Satisfaction Study indicates only a single point rise (on a 1,000-point scale) in satisfaction following several years of increases.

“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.”

Travelers indicated they are pleased with new facilities at Detroit Metropolitan, Portland International and Indianapolis, which incorporate local food and beverage offerings. Improved processes by the Transportation Security Administration also received a thumbs up.

The survey studies such factors as terminal facilities, accessibility, baggage handling, security checks, retail, and food and beverage offerings.

Detroit Metropolitan earned the top ranking among mega airports with a score of 768, followed by Minneapolis-St. Paul International (779). Las Vegan McCarran and Orlando International tied for third at 777. Among large airports, Portland International earned a score of 83), followed by Dallas Love Field and Tampa International led the field.

When it comes to medium-size airports, Indianapolis International earned the top score, 833, followed by Jacksonville International and Buffalo Niagara International.

Ranking at the bottom for mega airports were Newark Liberty International, Los Angeles International and O'Hare. Laguardia, Honolulu International and Ronald Reagan Washington National received the lowest rankings among large airports and among medium-size airports, Kahului, Cleveland Hopkins and Bradley International were ranked last.

U.S. airlines carried 849.3 million passengers in 2017, 741.6 million of them domestically, up 3.1% and 3%, respectively.

By passenger count, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the world’s busiest with more than 100 million passengers traveling to and from or making connecting flights, followed by Chicago’s O’Hare International and Los Angeles International.