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A Midwest airport has once again established itself as one of North America’s largest hubs, beating out better-known coastal airports serving New York and Los Angeles.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport leads the mega-airport category for the third year in a row, according to JD Power’s new 2026 ranking of North America’s Best Airports.
Tampa International Airport and Charleston International Airport also took top honors in their respective size categories, according to the same survey.
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“Minneapolis does a lot of things right,” Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the “View From the Wing” blog, told Fox News Digital.
“Connecting passengers enjoy many amenities without having to leave security,” Leff said. “Local passengers have an airport relatively close to both city centers, with access to light rail.”
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, pictured above, leads the mega-airport category for the third year in a row according to a new study. (Stephen Maturen)
Leff said Minneapolis passengers might face long walks between gates, but he said it still seemed manageable.
The airport’s score was 684 on JD Power’s 1,000-point scale.
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport ranked second among mega-airports with 663 points, followed by Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with 642.
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Tampa ranked first among large airports with a score of 715, followed by Portland International Airport with 708 and Dallas Love Field with 698.
Charleston led the medium airport category with 712 points, ahead of Ontario International Airport with 705 and Indianapolis International Airport with 695.
Tampa International Airport offers free Wi-Fi and a SkyConnect shuttle service connecting the main terminal to the economy parking lot and rental car center. (AFP via Getty Images)
“Tampa is very well organized, even though you have to transit between your halls,” Leff said.
Charleston isn’t overly built up, he said, so it’s easy to get through the airport.
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“What is an airport for? An airport is a place that you go to, through and out of quickly. You’re flying, you’re trying to get somewhere in a very efficient way. The best airports are the ones that help you do just that,” Leff said.
Overall passenger satisfaction increased across all three airport categories.
“What is an airport for? An airport is a place where you can get in, through and out quickly.”
JD Power, headquartered in Troy, Michigan, said all top-ranked airports have recently completed or are nearing completion of multi-year capital improvement projects.
“Overall, these efforts are finally starting to pay off in the form of higher overall passenger satisfaction scores,” Michael Taylor, general manager of travel, hospitality and retail at JD Power, said in a statement.
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Leff, however, cautioned travelers not to be too swayed by high-end renovations.
“The New York LaGuardia Central Terminal is a beautiful facility…but it’s still…a relatively difficult airport to get through,” Leff noted.
Bridget, a conversational AI hologram at LaGuardia Airport, helps passengers navigate Terminal B with multilingual assistance and live mapping tools. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
New York and Los Angeles came up short, and Leff wasn’t surprised.
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Leff believes that San Francisco International Airport and Washington, D.C. National Airport are among the best in the country because they are close to their cities and easy to navigate.
“The efforts are finally starting to pay off in the form of higher overall passenger satisfaction.”
The study identified clear signage and easy navigation as key drivers of satisfaction.
Food, beverage and retail programs improved, increasing 8 points year over year.
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The North American Airport Satisfaction Study is in its 21st year and measures passenger experience in seven areas: ease of moving through the airport, confidence in the airport, terminal facilities, airport staff, airport departure or travel experience, food, beverage and retail, and arrival or airport travel experience, according to the company.
San Francisco International Airport offers free Wi-Fi, 17 airline and shared-use lounges, three yoga rooms, and views of the airfield from its SkyTerrace. (Anadolu via Getty Images)
JD Power said it defines mega airports as those that serve at least 33 million passengers annually, large airports as those that serve between 10 and 32.9 million passengers, and medium airports as those that serve between 4.5 and 9.9 million passengers.
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The 2026 study is based on 24,710 completed surveys of U.S. and Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport.
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