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New Report: These Are the Best—and Worst!—Airports in the U.S.
Published on Jul. 18, 2025
You’ve planned the dream vacation, and all you have to do now is get there. Part of that process inevitably involves passing through at least one U.S. airport. Sometimes you get to choose the best, most convenient option. Other times, of course, you’re stuck with whatever’s closest or whatever layover city is on your way to your ultimate destination. If you travel frequently, you most likely have a few personal favorites—and a couple nightmare, no-way airports you avoid at all costs. (Detroit has bad juju for me after I got stranded due to a snowstorm, and it seems like my transfers there somehow always involve sprinting to my gate with seconds to spare.)
Now, a new study from the travel tech company AirHelp takes some of the guesswork out of it, revealing which airports are beloved by the masses and which land squarely on travelers’ do-not-fly lists. It’s a helpful reality check, especially since airports’ reputations can shift over time, depending on investment, renovations and other operational priorities. “Providing travelers with an in-depth look at how airports are performing will better inform them as they make upcoming travel plans, so they can have the best travel experience,” says AirHelp CEO Tomasz Pawliszyn.
Wondering if your favorite—or most reviled—airport made the list? There are the usual suspects … and some real surprises. Read on to find out which ones soared and which ones fell flat.
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How were airports ranked?
To determine the best and worst airports, AirHelp used its extensive internal flight database along with global passenger feedback. “There are over 4,000 airports in our database, which we whittled down to 250, based on the busiest airports according to flight traffic, and most popular with air travelers,” the company notes. For the U.S., they narrowed it even further, focusing on 34 of the country’s busiest and most traveled airports.
Using data and feedback collected between June 1, 2024, through May 31, 2025, AirHelp ranked airports based on three main criteria: on-time performance (60% of the score); customer opinion (20% of the score); and food and shops (20% of the score). Each airport was then assigned a score based on that percentage—so a score of 8.5 for on-time performance, for example, represents an on-time arrival rate of 85%.
What is the best airport in the U.S.?
The best airport in the U.S. is—drumroll, please—Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). It earned an overall AirHelp score of 8.29, with scores for on-time performance at 8.3, customer opinion at 8.1 and food and shops at 8.3. “Passengers are reporting Salt Lake City International Airport is very clean, modern and easy to navigate,” Pawliszyn explains. “Generally, they liked the renovations they did to it, as well as the blue water walkway and plethora of dining options.”
By sheer coincidence, I’m writing this from a Delta gate in Concourse A at SLC during a layover, and I can confirm the airport lives up to the hype. Following a massive, multi-year, multi-billion-dollar redevelopment, SLC deserves its top spot among the best of the best in the U.S.
The terminal, awash in calming tans and creams, features piped-in music, soaring ceilings and lots of windows (those amazing mountain views!) that flood the space with natural light. Even with the usual crowds of summer travelers, the walkways are so wide and open that it still feels completely uncrowded and calm. Shops like Coach, LEGO and other retailers dot the concourse, and the dining scene is hopping, boasting plentiful familiar chains like California Pizza Kitchen to local favorites like Salt Lake Brewing Co. The whole place is giving soothing upscale mall vibes, rather than chaotic airport ones.
Which other airports rounded out the top 10 best airports?
The scores among the top contenders for best airport were tight. “On-time performance is most heavily weighted, so airports with the highest percentage of on-time flights did well,” Pawliszyn notes. “In the cases where the on-time performance was close, like for Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, the other factors, especially restaurants and shops made the difference, giving those three airports the edge.”
Here are the top 10 best airports in the U.S. and their overall AirHelp scores:
- Salt Lake City International Airport, Salt Lake City, Utah (8.29)
- Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California (8.09)
- Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minnesota (8.07)
- Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia (7.97)
- Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon (7.96)
- Nashville International Airport, Nashville, Tennessee (7.93)
- Chicago Midway Airport, Chicago, Illinois (7.93)
- Austin Bergstrom-Airport, Austin, Texas (7.9)
- Daniel K Inouye Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii (7.89)
- Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada (7.89)
What is the worst airport in the U.S., according to AirHelp?
In a result that will surprise absolutely no one, New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport ranked dead last among U.S. airports, with an overall AirHelp score of 7.25 (on-time performance: 7.2; customer opinion: 7.1; food and shops: 7.6).
One of Newark’s biggest issues—and the most damaging to its score—was a severely understaffed air traffic control system, highlighted in recent news stories and reports. “As on-time performance is the most heavily weighted category to determine the score, Newark’s on-time performance hurt its overall ranking,” Pawliszyn says. “It scored 7.2, meaning only 72% of flights were on time.”
Newark really didn’t fare much better in other areas either. “From our passenger survey, the biggest complaints about Newark were horrible wait times, crowds, confusing [to get around], and in need of a major update or expansion,” he adds.
Which other airports made AirHelp’s top 10 worst U.S. airports list?
While every airport has its unique drawbacks, the top two lowest-ranking airports in the U.S.—Newark and Florida’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport—both suffered from poor on-time flight performance. Coming in third and fourth, Philadelphia International Airport and Detroit Metro Airport had slightly better punctuality stats but scored lower due to customer dissatisfaction. “Passengers cited Philadelphia Airport as chaotic and dirty, and a few expressed its need for improvements,” Pawliszyn says. “Meanwhile Detroit Metro Airport had inconvenient parking and rude people.”
Here’s AirHelp’s complete list of the top 10 worst airports in the U.S. and their overall scores:
- Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark/Elizabeth, New Jersey (7.25)
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Broward County, Florida (7.38)
- Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (7.41)
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Detroit, Michigan (7.59)
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Arlington, Virginia (7.59)
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas (7.62)
- LaGuardia Airport, Queens, New York (7.63)
- Tampa International Airport, Tampa, Florida (7.5)
- Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts (7.66)
- O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois (7.68)
Were there any major surprises among the best or worst airports this year?
According to AirHelp, Salt Lake City International Airport maintained its top spot, but the surprise was how some airports made dramatic jumps in the rankings, while others took serious tumbles. Los Angeles Airport climbed an impressive 56 spots year over year, closing in on Salt Lake City’s lead. “Other U.S. airports that have made serious gains in the last year include Orlando Airport, jumping 73 spots; Las Vegas Harry Reid Airport, rising 67 spots; and San Francisco Airport, advancing 66 spots,” says Pawliszyn.
On the other end of the spectrum, several U.S. airports slipped significantly down the list. Detroit Metro Airport plummeted 101 spots and Newark Liberty Airport fell 80 spots, while Philadelphia Airport went down 64 spots.
How can U.S. airports in the bottom redeem themselves?
Wait times and crowds are the most common issues at U.S. airports, but the best facilities really focus on making passenger experience a top priority. “This is where customer service and amenities come into play,” Pawliszyn says. “Airports that prioritize the customer experience and keep their airports clean, modern and easy to navigate will see that reflected in the customer feedback.”
“Today’s travelers,” he continues, “value transparency and proactive communication, fast luggage delivery, cleanliness, reliable Wi-Fi, available charging stations and easy-to-navigate infrastructure.” As we’re sure you’ll agree!
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