New York and LA didn't win America's best mega airport title, but one Midwest hub did
A Midwestern airport has once again come out on top among North America’s largest hubs, outpacing better-known coastal airports serving New York and Los Angeles.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport topped the mega airport category for the third consecutive year, according to new 2026 rankings from J.D. Power of North America’s best airports.
Tampa International Airport and Charleston International Airport also took top honors in their respective size categories, the same survey found.
DEADLY DISEASE SPARKS NEW CDC RULE FOR US-BOUND FLYERS AS MAJOR AIRLINES SEEK DELAY
"Minneapolis does a lot of things well," Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog "View From the Wing," told Fox News Digital.
"Connecting passengers have plenty of amenities without having to leave security," Leff said. "Local passengers have an airport relatively close to both downtowns, with light rail access."
Leff said Minneapolis passengers may face long walks between gates, but he said it still feels manageable.
The airport's score was 684 on J.D. 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.
POPULAR AIRLINE HITS CUSTOMERS WITH STEEP FEE HIKE FOR FIRST TIME IN 8 YEARS
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 is very well organized, even though you do have to transit between your concourses," Leff said.
Charleston is not overbuilt, he said, so it's easy to get through the airport.
TRAVEL NIGHTMARE UNFOLDS AS MAJOR AIRLINE SCRAPS FLIGHT AFTER HARROWING 12-HOUR DELAY
"What is an airport for? An airport is a place that you go to get to, through and out of quickly. You're flying, you're trying to go somewhere very efficiently. The best airports are the ones that help you do exactly that," Leff said.
Overall passenger satisfaction increased across all three airport categories.
J.D. Power, headquartered in Troy, Michigan, said all the highest-ranked airports have recently completed, or are close to completing, multiyear capital improvement projects.
"On the whole, those efforts are finally starting to pay off in the form of higher overall passenger satisfaction scores," Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power, said in a statement.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Leff cautioned travelers, however, not to get too swayed by upscale renovations.
"New York LaGuardia's Central Terminal is a beautiful facility … but it is still … an airport that is relatively difficult to get through," Leff noted.
New York and Los Angeles missed the mark, and Leff was not surprised.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
Leff believes San Francisco International Airport and National Airport in Washington, D.C. are among the country’s best because they are close to their cities and easy to navigate.
The study identified clear signage and easy navigation as major drivers of satisfaction.
Food, beverage and retail programs improved, rising 8 points year over year.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The North America Airport Satisfaction Study is in its 21st year and measures passenger experiences across seven areas: ease of travel through the airport, trust in the airport, terminal facilities, airport staff, the departure or trip-to-airport experience, food, beverage and retail, and the arrival or trip-from-airport experience, according to the company.
J.D. Power said it defines mega airports as those with at least 33 million passengers per year, large airports as those with 10 million to 32.9 million passengers and medium airports as those with 4.5 million to 9.9 million passengers.
The 2026 study is based on 24,710 completed surveys from U.S. and Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport.