Passenger satisfaction with North American airports is improving, according to the J.D. Power 2025 North America Airport Satisfaction Study. Scores are up 10 points (on a 1,000-point scale) this year, driven largely by improvements in food, beverage and retail and ease of travel through the airport.

Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail, said, “While the annual growth rate in passenger volume seems to be leveling off, we’re still seeing record numbers of travelers pass through the nation’s airports and, for the most part, they are enjoying the experience.”

A big part of the recent increase in passenger satisfaction, said Taylor, is due to recently completed improvements in many airport facilities themselves. A few big capital improvement projects have now been completed, and many more are underway or about to break ground. “A decades-long trend of bringing unique local flavor to the passenger experience has positively impacted the airport experience, with these local touches having a major influence on passenger satisfaction,” Taylor said.

Following are some key findings of the study:

• Many airports continue to experience record passenger volumes: Despite record numbers of passengers and widespread flight cancellations and delays, overall satisfaction increased 8 points for mega airports, 10 points for medium airports and 15 points for large airports.
• Local flavors make a big difference: One of the bigger drivers of this year’s increase in passenger satisfaction is food, beverage and retail programs, which improved 14 points year over year across all airport segments. Airport efforts to incorporate authentic local food and beverage brands into their terminal offerings have helped fuel that increase.
• Airport experience wields major influence on passenger spending: Passengers who rate their airport experience as “perfect” spend an average of $42.39 in the terminal. That is $16.54 more than passengers who rate their airport experience as “just OK.” Perfect experiences are rare, however, occurring in just 11% of journeys through the airport.
• Mega airport passengers experience longer wait times, more crowding: On average, 56% of passengers traveling through medium airports and 50% of those traveling through large airports spent 10 minutes or less getting through security. These passengers are also more likely to characterize the airport as “mildly crowded” or “not at all crowded.” Among mega airport passengers, however, 23% spent 21 minutes or more getting through security, and 57% describe the airport as “moderately crowded.” 

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport ranked highest in passenger satisfaction among mega airports for a second consecutive year, with a score of 660. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (649) ranked second and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (634) third.

John Wayne Airport, Orange County ranked highest among large airports for a second consecutive year, with a score of 730. Tampa International Airport (709) ranked second and Dallas Love Field (705) third.

Indianapolis International Airport ranked highest among medium airports for a fourth consecutive year, with a score of 713. Ontario International Airport (709) ranked second and Buffalo Niagara International Airport (698) third.

The study, now in its 20th year, measures overall passenger satisfaction with mega, large and medium North American airports by examining traveler experience across seven core dimensions (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 are defined as those with 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports with 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year; and medium airports with 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year.

The 2025 study is based on 30,439 completed surveys from US or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one US or Canadian airport and covers both departure and arrival experiences (including connecting airports) during the past 30 days. Passengers evaluated either a departing or arriving airport from their roundtrip experience. The study was fielded from July 2024 through July 2025.