These Are North America’s Best Airports in 2021 – Thrillist

Airports can be hit or miss. Delightful and communicative staff and decent enough food to hold you over until you get to your destination can make traveling easier while confusing signs, understaffed areas, and terrible food can make a few hours at the airport feel like days of pure misery. But how can you know what you’re getting yourself into before you travel? Thanks to a new study conducted by J.D. Power, which is based on customer satisfaction, we got the goods on which airports make traveling a breeze.

The study measures traveler satisfaction by taking a look at six factors: terminal facilities, airport arrival and departure, baggage claim, security check, check-in and baggage check, and food, beverage, and retail. Each airport was rated on a scale of 1,000 and was split in two categories: mega, which has 33 million or more passengers per year and large, which has 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year.

For the mega airports, Miami International Airport ranks highest in passenger satisfaction with a score of 828. Coming in behind Miami is John F. Kennedy International Airport with 817 points. In the large category Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport ranks highest with a score of 844 points. A close second is Tampa International Airport with 843 points. Below are the top five from each category:

Mega airports

1. Miami (MIA) with 828 points
2. New York-JFK (JFK) with 817 points
3. Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) with 815 points
4. Orlando (MCO) with 812 points
5. Phoenix (PHX) with 808 points

Large airports

1. New Orleans (MSY) with 844 points
2. Tampa (TPA) with 843 points
3. Raleigh-Durham (RDU) with 841 points
4. Dallas Love (DAL) with 829 points
5. Salt Lake City (SLC) with 826 points

According to the Marketing research firm, airline passenger volumes are now reaching 75% of pre-pandemic levels, which means leisure travel is a thing again. But just because the numbers are up doesn’t mean travelers are having a jolly good time. Travelers are finding that food, beverage, and retail options are very limited. And while numbers recorded during the earlier half of the year for the J.D. Power 2021 North America Airport Satisfaction Study cite happy travelers due to less people traveling earlier in the year, apparently scores plummeted for the last half of the study during the spring and summer.

Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power, says that “the data conveys changing expectations among travelers. Early in the pandemic, passengers were satisfied with any shop or restaurant being open, but they now expect full service at the airport.”

Although this study doesn’t give travelers insight on the best airports around the world, residents who travel throughout the US and Canada can feel assured. The study is now in its 16th year and is based on 13,225 completed surveys between the two countries.