The 50 best airports in America, ranked

The airport has become so synonymous with misery that we often grit our teeth and power through it. Headphones in. Shuffle to the gate. Grab a sad sandwich and tune out.

They are modern marvels of architecture and logistics. But many of us would rather visit the dentist. Easy? Ha. Memorable? Rarely in a good way.

We wanted to find exceptions. Beyond the gray halls of monotony, there exist airports where you may actually want to stay awhile. So we set out to rank the best in the United States.

We took our question to readers, soliciting more than 2,300 responses. Because we wanted an answer based on more than vibes, we enlisted Department of Data columnist Andrew Van Dam. To build his airport-ranking algorithm, Van Dam first analyzed reader feedback so he could prioritize what travelers value most.

We learned travelers adore airports that are easy to get to (and through) above all else. People love light-filled spaces with soaring ceilings. Recent renovations help, too. Van Dam fed your nominations into the algorithm, but he also factored in more than 450,000 Yelp reviews for airport shops, restaurants and the buildings themselves.

Our list started with more than 450 airports that served at least 1,000 passengers last year. We narrowed it to the top 50, then dug up more data like gate capacity and parking. For more on our process, read the methodology box at the bottom.

Here, now, are the 50 best airports in America, according to data. Take note, and arrive early.

10. Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)

A nearly mile-long concourse might not sound like a superlative for a favorite-airport list. But travelers credit “excellent people movers” — especially the elevated ExpressTram — with helping them get around. The linear design in the McNamara Terminal is a win for passengers who appreciate the “simple layout.”

Moving between the terminal’s concourses can feel like a party thanks to the light and sound display that one reader calls a “disco tunnel.”

Detroit gets high marks for tall ceilings that provide an “airy, roomy, spacious” feel, along with plentiful windows and loads of natural light. Want to sample a Detroit staple? Pop into Leo’s Coney Island for a hot dog topped with chili, mustard and onions. Or stop at the new shop selling Motown-themed gifts.

Fliers love ♥

The fountain meant to evoke a flight map in the McNamara Terminal sends smooth jets of water arcing through the air. One traveler asked: “Seriously, how do they get it to do that?”

Airline Hub ✈

Delta, which calls Detroit the “primary gateway” to its Asian market.

The 50 best airports in America, ranked

(Detroit Metro Airport)

9. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

This airport calls itself “The New SLC,” and that’s because it’s a total rebuild. Pieces started debuting to the public in 2020 with the final phase expected to be completed next year. Readers call this version “beautiful, new and spacious,” praising the large windows, natural light and mountain views.

There are more practical considerations as well: according to the airport, passengers are never more than 150 feet from a restroom; each seat at a gate has a place to plug in and charge; and families waiting to welcome loved ones or say goodbye can gather outside security in the “Greeting Room” with a fireplace and comfy furniture. Locals love the proximity to downtown.

Choose from Red Rock, Roosters, Uinta and other local breweries, a brunch spot or Thirst soda shop, among other options – and pay what you would outside an airport setting. One reader saluted the policy of charging “non-extortion prices.”

Fliers love ♥

Massive art installations in and outside of the airport evoke the area’s canyons, waterfalls and mountain peaks. They “remind passengers of the grandeur of the state,” one traveler said.

Public transportation

Take the Green Line on the TRAX light rail system.

(S. Zaybal/ Salt Lake City International Airport)

(Stuart Ruckman/Salt Lake City International Airport)

8. Indianapolis International Airport (IND)

You will not get lost in Indianapolis International. The simple layout, panoramic windows and towering ceilings of the modern steel-and-glass terminal make it a traveler favorite. “Easy everything!” as one reader put it.

Indianapolis is more than just easy. Before going through TSA — the airport boasts two large checkpoints — pause in the Civic Plaza and look up to take in the teal aluminum mobile, “JetStream,” by Rob Fisher floating above you. It’s a feather-like pop of color in the expansive space.

Don’t skip the popular local steakhouse Harry & Izzy’s, in the same restaurant group as Indianapolis classic St. Elmo, in Concourse A. Be sure to try their signature shrimp cocktail (if you can handle horseradish). After a bite, get some steps in on the airport’s more than a mile of marked walking paths.

Fliers love ♥

Artist Ron Baron’s vintage suitcase-inspired sculpture, “Baggage Claim,” where you can sit while you wait for your bags. How many figurines can you count?

Public transportation

(HOK)

(Sam Fentress/HOK)

7. Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ)

Few airports embody their location more than the sunport, a study in the Southwestern aesthetic. The adobe-style terminal feels like it belongs in a local pueblo rather than the gateway to New Mexico.

Take a moment in the Great Hall after check-in to soak in the vibe on one of the airport’s wood-and-leather chairs or benches. It’s “totally New Mexico,” as one reader put it. Look up and take in the ceiling’s decorated wood beams, or vigas. Check out the Cavalcade of Wings’s more than 900 aircraft models before going through TSA.

Stop in the new food court after TSA for a cup of piñon coffee, a brew flavored with the nut of the tree that grows in the high desert. Drink it under Lincoln Fox’s impressive “Dream of Flight” sculpture. Then pick up some red or green chile before heading to the gate.

Views of the nearby Sandia Mountains will have to wait until takeoff; as of late June, the popular observation deck was closed for renovations.

Fliers love ♥

Murals in the Great Hall from Native American artist Pop Chalee that depict buffalo and horses.

Close to the city

It’s 5 miles from Albuquerque’s city hall.

(Albuquerque International Sunport)

(Albuquerque International Sunport)

6. Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD)

How often do you hear someone mention an airport bathroom in the context of a rave review? Quite often, it turns out, when you’re in Providence. Passengers call the facilities “impeccable and beautifully designed” and especially praise the plants at the entrances and fresh carnations, mums or other flowers by the sinks. The restroom love is by design: PVD upgraded them as part of a $10 million project in the last few years.

The ease of parking and navigating the airport is a big draw here — and a sharp contrast to New England’s primary air hub, Boston Logan. Food options include Rhode Island stalwarts such as Saugy Franks hot dogs and the just-opened Narragansett Kitchen & Bar.

Need some reading material with your beer? Check out the Little Free Library on the lower level.

Fliers love ♥

Occasional live music upon arrival, courtesy of a volunteer program. “Talk about a cheery welcome,” one traveler said.

Airline Hub ✈

Breeze Airways has a growing base at PVD.

(Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport)

(Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport)

5. Seattle Paine Field International Airport (PAE)

It’s easy to mistake the terminal at this small airport north of Seattle as an exclusive private club. Grab a bellman cart for your bags and roll them into the lobby that feels more like a posh hotel than an airport terminal. A limestone-clad accent wall with a digital Solari split-flap departure board is the focal point of the minimalist space.

Breeze through security and the plush experience continues. The waiting area features leather couches and lounge chairs. Actual lamps grace the tables. Two fireplaces bookend the main waiting area. Catch sight of Mount Rainier in the distance or a Boeing jet fresh off the factory floor across the airfield — views that continue on one of Paine Field’s glass jet bridges.

Stop for a bite at Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, a popular local eatery that got its start at Seattle’s famed Pike Place Market. Just be prepared to pay an airport premium. Then sit back and enjoy the view while you wait.

Fliers love ♥

The small size of Paine Field, where it can take just minutes from the curb to gate.

Airlines ✈

Alaska and Frontier connect PAE to Southern California, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver and Hawaii.

(Seattle Paine Field International Airport)

(Seattle Paine Field International Airport)

4. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)

All the amenities of a metropolis with a small-airport feel? How Minnesota of you, MSP. After dropping your bags for a trip to Copenhagen or Grand Rapids, go through TSA in Terminal 1 to the MSP Mall with its broad selection of local shops and eateries. Grab a bestseller, or a Spam T-shirt with Minnesotan flair, at Open Book. Satisfy your sweet tooth a few steps away with a doughnut from Angel Food Bakery near gate E5.

Take a moment before heading to the gate to enjoy the designated quiet area on the mezzanine above the mall. Shhh, no Teams calls here. Relax in a massage chair. Or get lost in one of the many short films and documentaries by Upper Midwest filmmakers on loop 24/7 in the see18 cinema next to gate C19.

Can’t find your gate? Stop and ask one of the actually nice staff all over the terminal for assistance. They know the ongoing renovations can make even the airport’s simple layout a bit confusing.

Fliers love ♥

The very purple Prince store, a deluge of memorabilia and sounds paying tribute to the late rock star, the inventor of the Minneapolis sound.

Airline Hub ✈

For Delta and Sun Country.

(Kari Jo Skogquist/Metropolitan Airports Commission)

(Kari Jo Skogquist/Metropolitan Airports Commission)

3. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

Ask a Washingtonian for their favorite airport, and they’ll almost always gush over DCA. Minutes from D.C. by Metro, car or even bike, it’s that rare modest airport that punches well above its weight in flights to much of the country. Thanks, Congress.

Terminal 2, designed by noted architect César Pelli and opened in 1997, is a “cathedral of flying,” as one reader put it. After security, pass through the expansive National Hall to admire one of the best airport views in the country, a panorama of planes, the Potomac River, the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial. If you’re lucky, you can see the entire city laid out beneath you during landing.

Look up at the domes inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Then look down at the intricate tile mosaics. It’s only a short walk to most gates. That’s true even of the new Concourse E that extends north of the terminal and replaced the legendarily bad Gate 35X. Delays have impacted the airport since the tragic midair crash in January, which drew attention to the density of flight traffic. Many locals prefer the airport for its proximity to D.C. over Baltimore or Dulles.

Hungry? Local food options are plentiful. There’s Lucky Buns, Timber Pizza or local institution Ben’s Chili Bowl for a half-smoke. For airport jamón, try chef José Andrés’s menu in Capital One Landing. It’s free for cardmembers or a fee for everyone else.

Fliers love ♥

The chance to spot politicians from both sides of the aisle. You never know who you’ll see, or who will be caught groveling for an upgrade.

Public transportation

The Washington Metro stop servicing Blue and Yellow Line trains is right outside Terminal 2. A Capital Bikeshare station is in Parking Garage 2.

(Ronald Reagan National Airport)

(Ronald Reagan National Airport)

2. Long Beach Airport (LGB)

Fresh air. Sand beneath your feet. Palm trees. Yes, all at the airport: Travelers adore the courtyard that brings the beach to the airfield. There’s even a long fire pit if the nights get chilly. One reader calls it their “airport oasis.”

Love being outside? Great, because you’ll walk out onto the tarmac to board your flight.

With just 11 gates and three airlines, Long Beach is simple to navigate and quick to get in and out of – a huge plus for passengers who choose it over bustling Los Angeles International. America’s self-proclaimed “coolest airport” rolls out the welcome mat even to non-passengers with extras like a free summer concert series and shaded viewing space for plane spotters.

Food options are limited by the airport’s size, but most are smaller versions of community offerings, like a wine bar, a taco shop and a Greek restaurant. Eating outside gives “sidewalk cafe vibes,” a reader said.

Fliers love ♥

The 1941 Historic Terminal, which reopened last year after a major renovation. The art deco building, which includes an open-to-the-public lounge area, features a restored Work Projects Administration mosaic made up of more than 1.5 million tiles.

Close to the city

It’s a little over 5 miles to various city beaches.

(Long Beach Airport)

(Long Beach Airport)

1. Portland International Airport (PDX)

Walk into this airport terminal and gasp. It’s practically a nature bath. Skylights built into soaring timber roofs filter sunlight onto the oak floor. Live trees and massive video walls showcase stunning landscapes. Sit for a spell on the stadium-style wood benches. Linger on the real-life view of Mount Hood from Concourse E. This space is – it’s hard to believe – relaxing. And that’s despite construction set to wrap up next year.

This is an airport that has fun and wants you to do the same. See it in the swaths of fan-favorite carpet (seriously) and hear it from the live musicians. Spot it in the speakeasy. Feel it when you scritch a visiting llama. Share it from the oversize pink mailbox.

While you’re at it, enjoy the flavors from local restaurants and shops; Tillamook fried cheese curds, anyone? Airport prices aren’t inflated versions of their outside selves, which means your honey lavender treat from Blue Star Donuts or sour beer at Loyal Legion Beer Hall might just be regular-expensive instead of appalling.

It all adds up to an airport with so much to enjoy that you may wish for a delay.

Fliers love ♥

The 22-seat microcinema showing short works by Pacific Northwest artists. Look for the old-fashioned marquee in Concourse C.

Public transportation

Take the Red Line on the MAX (Metropolitan Area Express) light rail.

(Celeste Noche/PDX)

(Celeste Noche/PDX)

The best of the rest

• 11. TPA Tampa International Airport
• 12. SNA John Wayne Airport, California
• 13. MKE Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport
• 14. BUR Hollywood Burbank Airport
• 15. ONT Ontario International Airport, California
• 16. CAE Columbia Metropolitan Airport, South Carolina
• 17. IAD Washington Dulles International Airport
• 18. DAL Dallas Love Field
• 19. BWI Baltimore-Washington International Airport
• 20. RDU Raleigh-Durham International Airport
• 21. GSO Piedmont Triad International Airport, North Carolina
• 22. SFO San Francisco International Airport
• 23. SBA Santa Barbara Airport
• 24. BZN Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport
• 25. STS Sonoma County Airport
• 26. GSP Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, South Carolina
• 27. PBI Palm Beach International Airport
• 28. PIT Pittsburgh International Airport
• 29. PWM Portland International Jetport, Maine
• 30. JAX Jacksonville International Airport
• 31. FCA Glacier Park International Airport
• 32. TUS Tucson International Airport
• 33. MCI Kansas City International Airport, Missouri
• 34. JAC Jackson Hole Airport, Wyoming
• 35. PSP Palm Springs International Airport
• 36. CAK Akron-Canton Airport
• 37. RIC Richmond International Airport
• 38. LEX Blue Grass Airport, Kentucky
• 39. MSN Dane County Regional Airport, Wisconsin
• 40. HVN Tweed-New Haven Airport, Connecticut
• 41. GEG Spokane International Airport
• 42. SRQ Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport
• 43. ELP El Paso International Airport
• 44. BDL Bradley International Airport, Connecticut
• 45 . SJC San Jose Mineta International Airport
• 46. ISP Long Island MacArthur Airport
• 47. MDT Harrisburg International Airport, Pennsylvania
• 48. COS Colorado Springs Airport
• 49. LGA LaGuardia Airport, New York
• 50. BOI Boise Airport

Methodology

Most U.S. airport rankings focus on the largest, but your nominations (and Yelp reviews) make it clear that you prefer smaller airports. So we collected data on 450-plus U.S. airports with at least 1,000 passenger departures in 2024. We analyzed feedback from more than 2,300 readers to identify your priorities, and weighted the factors we found make a beloved airport. Once we narrowed our list to the top 50, we considered the intangibles to set the order.

Your votes: Your nominations made up a major part of the score. We adjusted them so that the rankings wouldn’t skew toward places with the most Washington Post readers.

Easy to get to: We used TravelTime, a location service that can measure distance in terms of time, to calculate how long it would take you to reach each airport on public transit. For drivers, we also used Mapbox’s location services to measure how far you could get to or from the airport amid weekday afternoon traffic and roughly how much public parking we could find within a half-mile of the airport.

Easy to navigate: For the top 50, we counted how many gates an airport had, relative to their 2024 passenger volume. For all airports, we also considered TSA complaints (overall and on a per-passenger basis) that cite long wait times, screening challenges and other obstacles. With the help of the airport analytics experts at Cirium, who also helped with passenger departure numbers, we also considered the percentage of empty seats per flight, another indicator of a less-crowded terminal.

Food and shopping: We worked with Yelp to measure both the sheer quantity of five-star reviews given to all restaurants and shops in the airport, as well as their quality — at least as it’s expressed by Yelp’s five-star scale.

On-time flights: Using Cirium, we measured the share of an airport’s flights that arrived on time. It wasn’t the top priority in your nominations, but it was a useful tiebreaker.

Cool things: In your nominations, you often mentioned a tough-to-quantify quirk that gave your favorite airport a bit of humanity or personality. To account for those, we dug through your nominations for the 50 finalist airports and went down our own rabbit holes to unearth anything and everything that made them cool, from gleaming new terminals to world-class restrooms stocked with fresh flowers. We then convened The Washington Post Airport Brain Trust™️ to debate which made the cut, either as a legit cool thing or an honorable mention.

Editing by Gabe Hiatt and Amanda Finnegan. Design editing by Christine Ashack. Design by Katty Huertas. Development by Emily Wright, Carson TerBush and Katty Huertas. Photo editing by Lauren Bulbin. Copy editing by Jamie Zega. Additional support by Travis Chase, Daron Taylor and CJ Riculan.