Top airports? Detroit, Indianapolis and Portland are best, says J.D. Power
North American travelers are the happiest with the airports in Detroit, Indianapolis and Portland, Oregon.
That's according to J.D. Power, which found those airports topped the three categories in its 2019 North American Airport Satisfaction Survey.
Detroit took the top spot in J.D. Power's "Mega" airports category, finishing with a score of 786 on a 1,000-point scale. But Indianapolis and Portland tied for the top overall score, their 833 points enough to earn the No. 1 sport in the survey's "Large" and "Medium" airport categories, respectively.
At the other end of the spectrum are two New York City-area airports that frequently bring up the bottom in airport ratings: Newark Liberty and New York LaGuardia. Newark finished 19th out of the 19 airports including in the survey's "Mega" category, its 695 points making it the lowest rated of all 62 airports in the survey. LaGuardia placed last in J.D. Power's 27-airport "Large" category while Kahului on the Hawaiian island of Maui finished at the bottom of the "Medium" category.
The J.D. Power survey is one of several annual airport ratings, including one from TPG released this summer that used its own criteria.
Overall, travelers' satisfaction scores with U.S. and Canadian airports ticked up year-over-year, rising one point from J.D. Power's 2018 survey. But the group noted that rise came in spite of significant issues that weighed down on travelers' opinions of airports. High on the list of concerns: construction.
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"Scaffolding and cranes are official welcome signs to several North American airports these days as record passenger volumes force major expansion efforts," J.D. Power said in a statement, citing "road closures, confusing signage and delays that come with these projects."
"With major terminal construction projects now underway in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and many other airports, it is becoming impossible for travelers not to experience some form of disruption," Michael Taylor, J.D. Power's Travel Intelligence Lead, said in a statement.
"While these projects are absolutely necessary to address surging demand, they are currently causing passenger delays and confusion," Taylor added. "This translates into a rushed passenger experience and less money spent on food, beverage and retail – and it's slowing the progress of the airport satisfaction we've seen in the past several years."
As for the airports that topped survey's three categories, J.D. Power said the "common bond … is relatively new facilities that accommodate increased passenger volume, incorporate localized food and beverage offerings and offer easy access."
J.D. Power's survey looked at satisfaction scores evaluating the three categories of airports across six factors. They were, in order of importance to the survey: cost and fees, in-flight services, aircraft, boarding/deplaning/baggage, flight crew, check-in, and reservations.
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The full methodology for the survey can be found at J.D. Power's website, with the 2019 results are based on responses from 32,276 U.S. and Canadian travelers who flew during the past three months.
The full airport ratings are below.
"Mega" airports*
1. Detroit (DTW), 786 points (on a 1,000-point scale)
2. Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP), 779 points
3-tie. Las Vegas (LAS), 777 points
3-tie. Orlando (MCO), 777 points
5-tie. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), 773 points
5-tie. Atlanta (ATL), 773 points
7. Phoenix (PHX), 770 points
8. Denver (DEN), 768 points
9. Houston George Bush Intercontinental (IAH), 764 points
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10. Charlotte (CLT), 763 points
11. Miami (MIA), 759 points
12. New York JFK, 758 points
Mega airports average: 756 points
13. San Francisco (SFO), 750 points
14. Toronto Pearson (YYZ), 745 points
15. Seattle (SEA), 740 points
16. Boston (BOS), 739 points
17. Chicago O'Hare (ORD), 731 points
18. Los Angeles (LAX), 726 points
19. Newark Liberty (EWR), 695 points
* = Mega airports are those having 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports have 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year; and medium airports have 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year, according to J.D. Power.
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"Large" airports
1. Portland, Oregon (PDX), 833 points
2. Dallas Love (DAL), 826 points
3. Tampa (TPA), 822 points
4. Orange County/John Wayne, California (SNA), 815 points
5. Raleigh/Durham (RDU), 804 points
6. Vancouver, Canada (YVR), 801 points
7. Sacramento, California (SMF), 800 points
8. Nashville (BNA), 795 points
9. Austin (AUS), 791 points
10. Houston Hobby (HOU), 785 points
11. Salt Lake City (SLC), 779 points
12. San Jose, California (SJC), 777 points
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13. San Diego (SAN), 774 points
14. Oakland (OAK), 769 points
15. Baltimore/Washington (BWI), 768 points
16. Kansas City, Missouri (MCI), 767 points
17. Calgary, Canada (YYC), 765 points
"Large" airports average: 765 points
18-tie. Chicago Midway (MDW), 756 points
18-tie. Washington Dulles (IAD), 756 points
20. Montreal (YUL), 750 points
21-tie. Fort Lauderdale (FLL), 746 points
21-tie. St. Louis (STL), 746 points
23-tie. New Orleans (MSY), 740 points
23-tie. Philadelphia (PHL), 740 points
25. Washington Reagan National (DCA), 733 points
26. Honoulu (HNL), 719 points
27. New York LaGuardia, 662 points
* = Mega airports are those having 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports have 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year; and medium airports have 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year, according to J.D. Power.
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"Medium" airports
1. Indianapolis (IND), 833 points
2. Jacksonville, Florida (JAX), 831 points
3. Buffalo (BUF), 829 points
4. Fort Myers, Florida (RSW), 823 points
5. West Palm Beach, Florida (PBI), 814 points
6. San Antonio (SAT), 813 points
7. Pittsburgh (PIT), 808 points
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8. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG), 807 points
"Medium" airport average: 803 points
9. Albuquerque, New Mexico (ABQ), 799 points
10. Milwaukee (MKE), 798 points
11. Columbus, Ohio (CMH), 792 points
12. Ottawa, Canada (YOW), 780 points
13. Edmonton, Canada (YEG), 779 points
14. Hartford, Connecticut (BDL), 776 points
15. Cleveland (CLE), 755 points
16. Kahului, Hawaii (OGG), 754 points
* = Mega airports are those having 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports have 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year; and medium airports have 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year, according to J.D. Power.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits.Pros
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- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.