The Wall Street Journal Thinks This Airport Is the Nation’s Best
Scott Dylan December 10, 2018
Which large airports in the United States are the best when it comes to features, amenities, wait times and more? The Wall Street Journal just released its very first U.S. Airport Rankings. The publication has ranked Denver International Airport in first place among the 20 largest airports in the United States.
Factors like Wi-Fi speed and the wait times at security lines were considered when rankings were tallied. In addition, visitor input played a role. Yelp scores given to airport restaurants were actually used to rank airports. Even the cost of using a ride-share app to get from each airport to local convention centers were considered.
The Wall Street Journal also surveyed 4,800 of its faithful readers when creating its ranking. Readers shared their opinions on overall experiences, security experiences, restaurants, shopping options, airline clubs, bathrooms and availability of electrical outlets. A total of 15 metrics were used. Here’s a look at the airports that made the top 10:
- Denver (DEN)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Phoenix (PHX)
- Atlanta (ATL)
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)
- Las Vegas (LAS)
- Seattle-Tacoma (SEA)
- Charlotte (CLT)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Boston (BOS)
Certain airports scored better than others when it came to specific categories. For instance, Orlando scored well when it came to offering convenience and low walking distances. Phoenix shined when it came to offering a low percentage of cancelled flights and relatively cheap parking options.
Some airports failed to dazzle Wall Street Journal readers at all. LaGuardia, Kennedy and Newark all ranked pretty low due to what visitors perceived as high fares, crummy food and higher-than-usual cancellation rates. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the three airports that ranked the highest actually have one interesting detail in common.
That common denominator is the fact that they all experience strong competition via the nation’s major airlines. Top-ranked Denver is one of the only airports to offer connecting fights from Southwest, Frontier and United. There’s no doubt that those airlines are definitely doing their part to make sure customers have shining experiences when passing through Denver.
[Image: Wikimedia/Dbenbenn]
LAX in the top ten? Pffft. Yeah. Sure.
I guess whoever did the ratings wasn't in the McNamara terminal at DTW. I always choose a DTW routing when possible. As for the airport halfway to Kansas, to each their own, I guess.
Whoa, I didn't even see LAS on the list. How the heck did that make it on there? Unless you're in the new terminal, the rest of it almost makes LGA look nice.
How did BOS/SEA make the list? Or is this indicative of just how pathetic US airports are? BOS is ancient. I'll give the janitorial staff credit -- it's clean and in good repair, but wow, is it old. SEA is a disaster. That's one airport which needs to be completely torn down & rebuilt. The layout looks great on paper but is difficult for people unfamiliar with it to grasp on the ground. Restaurant options aren't great. Security's a nightmare if you don't have Pre/GE. Oh, and let's not forget the terrible layout to get to a taxi/hotel shuttle from baggage claim which involves multiple elevators and long walks. The AS lounges are nice and the staff in them friendly, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about SEA.
I highly dislike LAX. Airport signage is sometimes inadequate and one has to walk very long distances between terminals. Sometimes, I make an extra effort for navigational signage but it assumes that people already know airport layout.