The completion of airport construction projects has had a positive effect on customer satisfaction, according to the JD Power 2026 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, released Wednesday.
Each of the highest-ranked airports for the study's three segments—mega, large and medium—recently have completed or are close to completing multi-year, billion-dollar-plus capital improvement projects, according to JD Power.
"For the better part of the last decade, nearly every airport, from the largest international hubs to midsized airfields, has undertaken a significant capital improvement project aimed at streamlining passenger flow, adding attractive food-and-beverage options and improving overall passenger experience," JD Power managing director of travel, hospitality and retail Michael Taylor said in a statement. "Those efforts are finally starting to pay off in the form of higher overall passenger satisfaction scores."
Food, beverage and retail programs collectively improved eight points year over year across all airport segments, according to JD Power. Airport efforts to incorporate authentic local food and beverage brands into their terminal offerings have helped to drive that increase, but airports "need to balance those local options with nationally recognized chain brands that many passengers seek out for their familiarity."
The 2026 study also found that passengers who rate their airport experience as "perfect" spend an average of $47.60 in the terminal. That is $20.22 more than passengers who rate their airport experience as "just OK." "Perfect" experiences are rare, however, occurring in only 12 percent of journeys through the airport, according to JD Power.
Airport Rankings
The 2026 North America Airport Satisfaction Study measured overall passenger satisfaction of mega, large and medium airports through seven criteria, in order of importance: ease of travel through airport; level of trust with airport; terminal facilities; airport staff; departure/to airport experience; food, beverage and retail; and arrival/from airport experience.
Mega airports have 33 million or more passengers per year, large airports have 10 to 32.9 passengers per year, and medium airports have 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year.
Mega Airports
The top three rated mega airports were the same for a third year in a row: Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport ranked the highest, with a score of 684 out of 1,000 points (up from 660 in 2025). Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport was second at 663 (up from 649 a year prior), and third was Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at 642 (up from 634 a year ago). The segment average was 617, up from 603 in 2025.
Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport tied for last place among mega airports with 585 points. Newark also had been last each of the prior two years, but its score improved from 565 a year ago.
Large Airports
Among large airports, which had an average score of 657, up from 644 in 2025, Tampa International Airport moved into first from second place last year with a score of 715 compared with 709 a year prior. Portland International Airport ranked second with 708, up from last year's sixth place ranking and a score of 683. Third was Dallas Love Field, a repeat position from a year prior, with a score of 698, down from 705 in 2025.
Last year's top large airport, John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., fell to 10th place with a score of 677, down from 730 a year prior. In last place for the category was Philadelphia International Airport with a score of 596. The airport also was last each of the prior two years, but its score improved from 570 in 2025.
Medium Airports
Charleston, S.C., International Airport took the top spot among medium airports with a score of 712. The airport didn't even place in the rankings last year. It knocked out the 2025 and 2024 winner Indianapolis International Airport, which fell to third place with a score of 695, down from 713 last year. Ontario International Airport in California repeated its second-place ranking with a score of 705, down from 709 in 2025.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport was in last place with a score of 597, down from its 2025 score of 611. The medium category average was 672, up from 656 a year prior.
The 2026 study was based on 24,710 completed surveys from U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport during the prior 30 days. It covers both departure and arrival experiences, including connecting airports. Passengers evaluated either a departing or arriving airport from their round-trip experience. The study was conducted from July 2025 through July 2026.
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