Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International repeated as the top three mega airports in the JD Power 2026 North America Airport Satisfaction Study.
The report cited the completion of airport construction projects as having had a positive effect on customer satisfaction. Each of the highest-ranked airports for the study’s three segments — mega, large and medium — recently have completed or are close to completing multiyear, billion-dollar-plus capital improvement projects, according to the report.
Thanks in large part to dozens of major airport capital improvement projects finally reaching completion, overall passenger satisfaction with airports in North America increases significantly in 2026, despite passenger volume continuing to run at or near the record levels set in 2025.
Michael Taylor, JD Power managing director of travel, hospitality and retail, said, “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.” Those efforts, he said, “are finally starting to pay off in the form of higher overall passenger satisfaction scores.”
Among large airports, Tampa International Airport moved up from second to first place while Portland International Airport in Oregon ranked second and Dallas Love Field was third. Last year’s top large airport, John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., fell to 10th place. In last place for the category was Philadelphia International Airport.
Charleston, S.C., International Airport ranked first among medium airports, followed by Indianapolis International Airport and Ontario (Calif.) International Airports. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport was in last place.
The 2026 study was based on 24,710 completed surveys from US or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one US 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 roundtrip experience. The study was conducted from July 2025 through July 2026.
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 the report said that 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% of journeys through the airport, according to JD Power.
