The best airports in North America in 2023, according to a passengers survey

• J.D. Power released the results of its 2023 airport customer satisfaction survey on Wednesday.
• The top airports in each respective category this year are Detroit, Tampa, and Indianapolis.

An annual customer satisfaction survey conducted by data analytics firm J.D. Power revealed on Wednesday the best and worst airports in North America for 2023. And, despite ongoing industry problems surrounding pilot and air traffic control shortages, severe weather, and terminal crowds, overall satisfaction actually increased this year.

Ranked across three categories — mega, large, and medium — the best airports in North America this year are Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Tampa International Airport, and Indianapolis International Airport, respectively.

According to J.D. Power, mega airports handle at least 33 million passengers per year, large airports host between 10 and 32.9 million, and medium airports see between 4.5 and 9.9 million.

Some 27,000 surveys were collected this year, with questions focusing on terminal facilities, airport arrival and departure, security, check-in, food/drink/retail vendors, and baggage claim.

While last year saw a huge 25-point drop in airport customer satisfaction from 2021 to 2022, overall satisfaction for North American airports actually improved by three points in 2023 — bringing its score to 780 on a 1,000-point scale. This is despite the increased crowding that J.D. Power analysts expect to remain a problem at airports across the country going into 2024.

"It has not been an easy year for North American airports, but major capital improvements they've made over the last several years and new investments in getting food, beverage, and retail operations back up and running at full capacity have helped them manage the crush of passengers," J.D. Power managing director of travel, hospitality, and retail, Michael Taylor, said in a press release.

He noted that the data collected suggests spending directly correlates to satisfaction, saying "happy passengers spend a lot more money at the airport."

According to J.D. Power, those who scored airports at a perfect 10 spent an average of $44 in the terminal, while those who ranked the airport as 1 to 5 — meaning "disappointed" — spent $29. Overall average spending at airports increased by about $3.50 compared to 2022, the study shows.

The firm also highlighted that most of the top airports all recently underwent major renovations, particularly New York's LaGuardia Airport, which jumped 27 points this year — meaning it "has climbed from dead last in passenger satisfaction in 2019" to nearly matching the large airport segment average in 2023.

While there are success stories thanks to multi-billion airport investments, some airports are still ranking low among customers. The worst mega, large, and medium airports in North America this year were, respectively, Newark Liberty International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, and Kahului Airport on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Although all three airports did improve their satisfaction score compared to 2022, not much else changed this year. Newark and Philadelphia both still rank last, though Newark has completed a terminal upgrade, so it could potentially climb the ranks next year.

The only significant adjustment was Kahului swapping places with Hollywood Burbank Airport after the latter ranked last in 2022.

Note: the J.D. Power study was conducted from August 2022 through July 2023 — before the Maui wildfires stranded thousands of people at the island's main airport in August of this year.

Here's the full list of North America's best and worst airports of 2023 in terms of customer satisfaction.

Best Mega Airports

The segment average among mega airports in 2023 was 772 out of 1,000, three points above last year's 769 score. The airports scoring equal to or above average are:

1. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (800/1,000)

2. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (796/1,000)

3. Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas (787/1,000)

4. Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport (783/1,000)

5. Miami International Airport (783/1,000)

6. San Francisco International Airport (781/1,000)

7. Denver International Airport (777/1,000)

8. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (777/1,000)

9. Orlando International Airport (777/1,000)

10. George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (776/1,000)

11. John F. Kennedy International Airport (773/1,000)

12. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (772/1,000)

Worst Mega Airports

The mega airports scoring below the average score are:

1. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (769/1,000)

2. Los Angeles International Airport (765/1,000)

3. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (763/1,000)

4. Boston Logan International Airport (762/1,000)

5. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (762/1,000)

6. Seattle Tacoma International Airport (754/1,000)

7. Toronto Pearson International Airport (749/1,000)

8. Newark Liberty International Airport (732/1,000)

Best Large Airports

The segment average among large airports in 2023 was 789 out of 1,000, a full five points above 2022. The airports scoring equal to or above average are:

1. Tampa International Airport (832/1,000)

2. John Wayne Airport, Orange County (829/1,000)

3. Salt Lake City International Airport (825/1,000)

4. Dallas Love Field (820/1,000)

5. Raleigh-Durham International Airport (813/1,000)

6. Sacramento International Airport (806/1,000)

7. William P. Hobby Airport Louis (806/1,000)

8. Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (804/1,000)

9. San Antonio International Airport (802/1,000)

10. Calgary International Airport (801/1,000)

11. Nashville International Airport (799/1,000)

12. Portland International Airport (797/1,000)

Worst Large Airports

The large airports scoring below the average score are:

1. Kansas City International Airport (788/1,000)

2. LaGuardia Airport (788/1,000)

3. Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (787/1,000)

4. Vancouver International Airport (787/1,000)

5. Washington Dulles International Airport (784/1,000)

6. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (783/1,000)

7. Chicago Midway International Airport (780/1,000)

8. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (779/1,000)

9. San Jose International Airport (776/1,000)

10. St. Louis Lambert International Airport (775/1,000)

11. San Diego International Airport (772/1,000)

12. Oakland International Airport (768/1,000)

13. Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (759/1,000)

14. Honolulu International Airport (753/1,000)

15. Philadelphia International Airport (750/1,000)

Best Medium Airports

The segment average among medium airports in 2023 was 809 out of 1,000 — making it the category with the highest overall customer satisfaction score. Last year, the score was 807. The airports scoring equal to or above average are:

1. Indianapolis International Airport (843/1,000)

2. Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers (839/1,000)

3. Ontario International Airport in California (834/1,000)

4. Florida's Palm Beach International Airport (828/1,000)

5. Albuquerque International Sunport (827/1,000)

6. Jacksonville International Airport (821/1,000)

7. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (817/1,000)

8. Buffalo Niagara International Airport (813/1,000)

9. General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (811/1,000)

10. Pittsburgh International Airport (811/1,000)

    Worst Medium Airports

    The airports scoring below the average are:

    1. Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio (807/1,000)

    2. Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska (804/1,000)

    3. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (794/1,000)

    4. Bradley International Airport in Connecticut (789/1,000)

    5. Hollywood Burbank Airport in California (772/1,000)

    6. Kahului Airport in Hawaii (771/1,000)