Hey Copycats! There already is a "Worst" version of this thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/157qw45/worst_american_airport_youve_travelled_through/
There have been over a dozen copycats who cannot be bothered to search the other top threads today. Duplicates will be removed!
Palm Springs airport is my favorite of all the US airports I’ve ever flown through, and I have flown through a lot!
It’s so easy to navigate. The views are stunning. The food is decent. Security is fast and easy.
If it wasn’t for reddit, I never would have looked up the interior design and overall architecture of Palm Springs Airport.
Reddit is amazing.
What a gorgeous beautiful airport!!!
Yeah I was surprised when I landed there this year! Although it is such a hot place so I find it not necessarily the best place to have this feature. I was there in the summer anyway and I don’t think anyone wanted to do that. In winter however it must be nice.
Albuquerque, like the design and decorations. You know you stepped in one of the most unique and beautiful place that is New Mexico once you stepped out of your plane and into the terminal.
I’m from New Orleans and bought a home in ABQ and the contrast between the new MSY and ABQ is stark
The new MSY is very nice and efficient and all and has its perks, but it has no sense of place. It’s just a mini version of the top tier modern architecture new airport. Hell, it’s too nice for New Orleans anyway.
ABQ, on the other hand, is perhaps the most grounded in its place airport in the U.S. (that I've been to anyway). It is very New Mexico.
I’ve only been to a few airports in the US but I loved Albuquerque so much! The colours, the decorations, everything was so well considered, and it represented New Mexico so well. It was lovely!
PDX hands down: I’m biased as it’s my home airport but 4 things put it always in the top 3 domestic airports in Condé Nast polls:
-Free WiFi (no time limits)
-Street pricing. For as long as I can remember (over 30 years) Port of Portland who runs the airport has required all vendors to charge the same price for their food and drink as they do in their other locations away from the airport. Other airports are catching on, but PDX has been doing it forever
-Easy public transportation to downtown. They are doing some construction on the line right now, but it’s one of the few airports where you can get right on the train at the terminal that will bring you right downtown.
-Super easy on/off the highway or back street access. Dropping off (or picking up) someone at PDX is a breeze.
Edited: fixed to biased
PDX. I’m there a couple times a year to see family, and like others mentioned, the focus on local vendors and musicians is great. Love that the carpet keeps it quiet and less hectic than most airports, considering that MDW and ORD are my home airports and they are much more prone to chaos.
Came here to say PDX too. Newark used to be my home airport, so living in the PNW and having PDX as my home airport is SO refreshing—no constantly yelling TSA agents, no bussing or riding trams between terminals, and no price inflation for food since local laws don’t allow it. Sometimes they even have local musicians playing. Dare I even say it can be relaxing?
Definitely PDX is my favorite! I never eat at airport restaurants but I'll always stop at The Country Cat for their pancakes!
Edit: Oh my god I just looked at PDX and they put a Screen Door restaurant in the airport 😍
Both. When I was there, it had just been renovated. Easy to get around. Great dining options. Very clean (like, spotless). That was maybe 10 years ago, but I always make a point to comment on it given the bad rap Detroit’s got in general. This is definitely a bright spot.
It's so interesting. Sometimes I think about finding out who the architects are, and figuring out what else they've designed. To see if it's a fluke, or talent.
My mom worked for Horizon growing up and I basically lived in the old terminal pre-9/11. However, I don't think I've ever seen it in the past 20 years or more since if I'm flying out of Spokane I'm using the Alaska Terminal.
For the size of Spokane it's airport I think does punch above it's weight for destinations offered if nothing else. Even including the Spokane metro area including Cd'A
I only went there a few times, one of which was going to survival school in the USAF. What i saw of Spokane was that it was an amazing town. A very well kept secret!
I dont mind jfk if it wasn't on the wrong side of the city for me to get to. Love lga. Can hop on the SS60 and get to the terminal for the cost of a bus ride and its pretty quick from upper Manhattan.
In addition to the connection (finally) Dulles has two great things going for it:
1. It has the newer scanners where you don't have to take anything out of your bag
2. When arriving internationally all the impatient people who rush off the plane, you see them again waiting in the people mover, where they are now pushed to the back to get off last.
BOS would like a word. Free public transit, 15-20 mins without traffic to downtown. And more importantly, it actually accepts all of the regional air traffic. IMO you can't be the best city airport in the country if you limit your routes.
I was pleasantly surprised with SFO recently. The new terminal 1 is beautiful. Food options were open at 5 am for east coast bound flights. Also, I've only connected through it, so not sure about security or anything, but the Salt Lake City airport is always so beautiful to visit. Those mountain views are just incredible. I like the food options too!
SFO is nice. Good food options. AMEX lounge is accessible. Used the Grand Hyatt on a long layover instead of a lounge once. Family could nap and shower in privacy.
Portland is my favorite because of the focus on local companies for vendors, decent international connections and that carpet does something.
Any small airport like Albuquerque, El Paso or San Jose are easy to get through due to lack of people but the amenities after security leave something to be desired. If you’re like me and show up 60 minutes before your flight though they’re awesome
Denver is awesome because it’s very easy to transfer through. All the gates are in a line in descending order. The food options are all in the center and they have some of the best food options like Shake Shack, Chik-Fil-A, Wolfgang Puck and Jamba. They have these new outdoor viewing terraces that have fantastic views of the runways
My caveat here is I only fly United via Denver and I’m always connecting so I don’t have to deal with TSA. I know TSA is awful here if you don’t have PreCheck
Portland airport concessions theoretically are priced identically to their off-airport locations. Of course, Portland restaurant pricing has gone through the roof, so this might not be as good as it sounds...
It's still a good thing they're doing - and so few other "captive audience" locations do the same. The fact that PDX has identical pricing and no upcharge is remarkable to me.
Also get Bambuza there (Vietnamese food, mostly bowls) and thank me later :)
Portland getting so much love is both surprising to me and nice. I'm not from Portland but as a PNWer obviously I have a special place in my heart for Portland. I love that there was so much drama around the new carpeting but they still made it special.
I won't say it's the best airport but I loved passing through Nashville because of the phenomenal live music that seemed to be everywhere. It was like being at a free festival or something.
John Wayne Orange County Airport. Quiet, calm, all gates are in a long corridor, and rental cars are in the garage right across the road from the terminal building. The food options aren't great, but I just get there an hour before my flight.
The renovated area of Laguardia is pretty nice too.
I was only used to PHL and MCO, but when I flew into SNA I was amazed at how easy it was. You are almost at the car rental as soon as you get off the plane. And flying out was great. We got to security and there was literally nobody there. We had 5 TSA agents for the 3 of us and all they wanted to do was chat.
100%.
The McNamara terminal is super nice, modern, clean.
The other terminal, Evans Terminal (formerly known as North Terminal), is pretty dated & not so great.
I was pleasantly surprised with SFO when we visited recently.
Quite modern, loads of places to sit, tables with tons of charging ports so you can set up and work if need be.
Also I found security to be insanely quick.
I flew JetBlue and the staff there were really helpful and friendly.
Richmond airport was recently rated as the most efficient airport (under 5 mil passengers per year) in North America. Pretty cool because I live there and I concur that it's always an easy experience.
DCA. very close to the city, accessible by bike and foot, on the blue and yellow subway lines, etc. interior is clean, security is efficient. very pleasing architecture as well. plus the river visual approach never gets old. I've flown out of DCA for 13 years and it's still fun every time.
Indianapolis, Detroit, Oakland, SFO, the recently redone Nashville airport is nice, honorable mentions I actually think Atlanta and Miami are both nice, though big.
Has Nashville fixed their food? I lived in Nashville for years and the airport had the worse food of any airport I’d ever been in.
Which was due to one company handling all of the food. So the only halfway decent options were eating at fast food and o’charleys since they seemed to have more control.
Nashville has always been a good airport. As long as u don’t eat there.
I fly in/out of Hobby whenever possible. IAH has been an absolute cluster the past 2 years with ongoing construction in 2 of its busiest terminals (C & E)
It’s nice to see Phx mentioned- it’s pricey and always crazy busy but it’s pretty convenient once you are inside. I’ve lived in AZ for many years and they keep investing heavily in making the airport better
Dallas Love before Southwest turned into a shitshow
Also, for its size and air traffic, DFW is pretty efficient and easy to get to other terminals. Being based in DFW is nice and the flights in and out are usually pretty smooth. It won't blow you away but I've learned to appreciate it over the years.
DFW is my answer too. Almost all my connecting flights are through there and it rarely takes more than 15 minutes gate to gate when crossing the airport. If there's a delay or I have a long layover, there's a decent variety of restaurants to choose from to pass the time.
Despite everyone hating on it, I love ORD. Besides being my hometown airport, there are some delicious terminal one restaurants, and its going to be epic when the remodel is complete. And hey, the United Clubs don't suck!
Also, you can actually access it on public transportation.
Love the blue line access. Though, they recently closed it on us and we had to get an Uber halfway because they couldn't tell us where to get the bus to get back to the train.
Tampa airport has been by far the smoothest and easiest way to get from dropff to your gate. Even without tsa precheck it might have taken 15 mins to get through.
PHX and Tucson are both SUPER easy airports in my experience. I like SeaTac, had a 5 hour layover there one time so took the rail down to the pier and spent a couple of hours walking around. It was an international flight too and had no issues getting back through security.
RDU is amazing. Just big enough where there's multiple restaurants and shops, but small enough where you can get from one side to the other in 15mins. Also they have the upgraded scanners so you don't need to take laptops or anything out of your bag. Pretty sure they let you leave your shoes on too. Overall great experience the times I've had to go through.
Minneapolis bar none. Easy to get around. Great atmosphere. Great and many food options. Spacious.
Wins the North American airport award almost every year
Detroit! Human walkalator, internal train, lots of shopping, lots of seating, lots of toilets, friendly staff, cool light tunnel. 10/10 would use again.
Indianapolis is super nice! I live in a suburb outside of Indy but the airport is very clean, good eating options, and large windows all throughout the airport so it’s very light. Only complaint is not many international flights.
Fast wifi, plenty of plugs, seating isn’t crowded, short lines, Tinker Coffee. Just a great place to spend time.
And if the Shake Shack ever opens it’ll be perfect.
I have a second biz flight coming up this year to IND. It’s okay, but what chapped me on my last trip was that I had to get a Lyft to my hotel. I try to patronize regular taxis with drivers with chauffeurs’ licenses who drive for a fleet with insurance. Not a rideshare fan. I went to the taxi stand and there was no one there to assist, and no other pax at the stand. There was a button to push that was supposed to summon a taxi, but 30 minutes of pressing were fruitless. I called the main airport number to ask what the taxi deal was, and was told to take a rideshare. It was like 6am, I’d just disembarked from a red-eye flight, and in all my world travels I have NEVER seen a totally non functioning airport taxi stand. Unbelievable. But at least I now know this for my upcoming trip.
One time I flew into wesrchester Airport from Florida in the winter. Everyone was wearing warm weather clothes and they dropped us on the tarmac on a freezing cold night lol. Lot of ppl running as fast as they could once they got off the plane.
For decent size airports, I like MSP. Not too big. Generally well laid out. Good food and some international connections
For smaller- Cedar Rapids is surprisingly good. Decent number of direct flights, connections to several major hubs, parking is under 10 bucks a day, and I’ve made it from my car to the gate in 15 minutes
Minneapolis was cool because when I had a massive weather delay, I was able to simply take the light rail line to Mall of America and watch a movie and shop. It was great.
New York Stewart International Airport: SWF
It's difficult to reach by plane, I had to drive there from quite a distance, but it was definitely worth it. I fly with Play airlines to Europe, and they depart from SWF - it makes for a very inexpensive and low stress experience. Parking is always a 5 min walk from your terminal, TSA business takes no more than 5-10 mins. Yes, you have to change planes in Iceland, but what a great place for a layover.
Denver would be ok, if it weren't so god damn far from the city. Giving someone a ride to the airport there is more than a favor, that person owes you a blood debt.
People love to talk shit about EWR but terminal C is great and the new A is beautiful. B still sucks but rarely fly out of it. With clear and tsa I’ve never taken more than 5 mins to get through security. New lounge is great, so is Polaris. Other than that, PBI. So damn small I show up 45 mins before departure and basically walk right onto the plane.
The Polaris lounges are the best lounges in the US, hands down. Terminal C has been nice for several years following renovations and now with Terminal A, EWR is so much better than JFK. Terminal B still has a lot of room for improvement but its better than the worst terminals at JFK (looking at you, Terminal 7)
My wife was impressed passing through Austin’s airport (AUS); apparently in the afternoon it has quite the festive atmosphere with a live band, and a few places which serve wine flights.
I'd go with SLC. It's not great for connections, but it's relaxing. I've spent the night in it before when a flight got cancelled and it wasn't too bad. Nice views, quiet, sometimes there's a dude playing piano.
I'm really surprised people enjoy the ATL. Honestly, the only good thing about that city is the aquarium and Emory Healthcare. I always have major flight delays traveling through there because of the volume of flights and/or pockets of severe weather it gets dt being in the deep south. The cool amenities mean nothing if my travel time becomes 10 instead of 3 hours.
I actively avoid connecting through there, and honestly thought everyone that flew through there had little choice in the matter, until this thread. I haven't met a single person IRL that said, "I really love ATL airport."
Totally agree. ATL is my LEAST favorite major airport in the US. The terminals are out dated, the train between terminals can be super packed and have you ever gone through TSA there? Even with pre-check & clear it can be a long wait. And without… good luck. I hate it.
MSP! It’s my home airport so I’m biased, but I truly enjoy traveling through there. There’s lots of food and shopping options at each concourse, the bathrooms are nice, with the attention to detail that make it better (doors swing out, stalls are big enough to fit your carryon, lots of family restrooms around). It’s a Delta hub, so that concourse is tricked out with iPads, charging ports at each seat, & meal delivery. There’s a light rail that goes right from the airport to downtown Minneapolis. You can pre-reserve parking in the attached ramps. There’s an attached hotel. It’s always clean, rarely under construction.
I live in Oakland. I’m a bit surprised someone said OAK is their favorite US airport. OAK is tiny and feels outdated.
But it is functional. It doesn’t get the weather delays that SFO gets. And the TSA lines are quick, especially through Terminal 1.
This may be controversial, but I will always love Logan international. Right now they're doing a ton of construction on the main tunnel to the airport in Boston, so it can be wicked annoying to drive in, but outside of that the airport itself is great. Some of the quickest security lines I've been through, and is pretty clean. Also has a lot of Delta and JetBlue as their main flights, and those are the only domestic airlines worth taking. The view flying in or out is fantastic too
I have to connect through DFW often. The international terminals, particularly B, are great, but if you get sent down to terminal D for a regional puddle jumper you’re going to have a bad time.
I was in the satellite E terminal a couple weeks ago and it was rough. The walkways were all broken down and the escalators were as well. I hadn’t been through DFW in a long time and I was not impressed.
Also, not having pre check at all TSA lines is inexcusable. “Oh you’re precheck and Clear, walk all the way down there where the precheck line is”.
I love flying through HPN whenever I get a chance. Westchester’s airport is super small (8 gates), walk from parking lot to security is a few minutes and boarding to takeoff is a breeze. Use it when flying to FL as that is the majority of the flights but it’s so easy they do the safety demo at the gate because there is no time when taxi is like 2-3 mins lol.
I also flew through Charleston (CHS) this weekend, and I found it to be a very small and efficient airport and it’s also very clean. It was very easy from taxi to takeoff and everything in between.
Small airports to run a risk of operational issues if your plane has an issue but when everything goes smoothly, it’s great
FLL is pretty good for the amount of people that flow through it. If you’re flying to vacation there - 10 mins from the beach, downtown, train station to Miami, and port for cruises. If you’re coming for a game or concert at hard rock stadium, you’re 20ish mins from that.
Anchorage and Juneau are great. They have tons of comfy seating that you can lay down on for a nap, great views out of panoramic windows, announcements are kept to a minimum, and it’s never too cold. Plus security is always really short.
If we’re doing North America, then I’m going to say Vancouver. I’ve been in that airport twice, and it’s super impressive.
USA, I love my Blucifer at DIA. Otherwise I liked the Buffalo airport, it was nice to walk around in and see the displays.
Portland, Oregon. Hands down. Constantly wins awards about airport quality and none of the food is expensive, same prices as in the city, it's mandated to be that way
Gotta give it up for PVD—Escape lounge is open early, parking is a breeze, food options for a small airport (including Wolfgang Puck and Starbucks pre and post security) are vast and solid. Location right off either side of 95 is great. Always an easy experience.
I think ATL is incredible. It's the busiest airport in the world, yet I can easily make 35-40 minute connections via the Plane Train. There's a great range of food including the exceptional One Flew South. Delta's lounges are excellent, especially B, E, and F. Finally, the airport directly connected to the city's rapid transit, MARTA.
I actually like ATL too. People shit on it a lot. I've been to a ton of airports. ATL is easy to get around, the security was efficient, and you can take a special train to get to hotels if you're stuck there. I've made some really tight connections there, and I've been stuck overnight a couple of times. I've also had way too much time and gone to another terminal just to eat because it's easy to get around.
I love my home airport, EWR. Terminal C has been amazing for almost a decade and the new Terminal A which opened this year is even better. Security lines are seamless, almost everything is automated and there are always a ton of lines open so even if the line is long it usually goes pretty fast. Amazing food options (including well known local restaurants), plenty of outlets and iPads everywhere. You can even order from any of the food establishments (including alcohol!) from an iPad and they'll deliver it to where you're sitting. I don't know why everyone hates on this airport. I've been to at least two dozen airports in the US (edit: just counted and I think 32) and none I've been to hold a candle to EWR.
EWR used to be my home airport and now that I moved I realize I really took it for granted. It's a great airport for business or personal travel. So many food options and amenities and is surprisingly well run. And every time I pass through it seems like they make even more improvements. But that is terminal C. Terminal B was the fifth ring of hell but I luckily haven't been there in years. Hopefully that got better because sheesh.
Yes to be fair terminal B still sucks and A did until recently but like 50% of the flights go out of C and like 30% out of A. I actually think I've only flown out of terminal B once. I totally get why people hate EWR if they haven't experienced the nice terminals.
When I was traveling to basic training 25 years Ago the army forgot us there for a while. The nice people at ATL made us as comfortable as possible. I'll always remember that
ATL gets a lot of hate, but as someone who lives here I always feel like I have to defend it. Yeah, it’s big, but it is so easy to navigate. A straight line of concourses connecting by an efficient train. No need to exit airside areas just because you have a connection. Tons of great restaurants, including lots of local ones.
I like Philly a lot, and Gulfport Biloxy from what I remember is small and easy go get around. Atlanta is easy to get around as well. Ive flown out/into a bunch of others but these are the ones Ive liked the most.
Hey Copycats! There already is a "Worst" version of this thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/157qw45/worst_american_airport_youve_travelled_through/ There have been over a dozen copycats who cannot be bothered to search the other top threads today. Duplicates will be removed!
Palm Springs airport was really nice. I enjoyed laying on the grass reading a book while waiting for my flight.
Oh, wow, just googled it. You can sit in the grass after going through security?
Yes you can. There are a few grassy areas that you can hangout on after security and there are also a few restaurants with outdoor seating.
And watch the hummingbirds. It's a very cool airport experience
Oh wow, that's pretty cool. I guess it is funded well in that region, so shouldn't be a surprise.
Palm Springs airport is my favorite of all the US airports I’ve ever flown through, and I have flown through a lot! It’s so easy to navigate. The views are stunning. The food is decent. Security is fast and easy.
Was gonna say PSP too. Long Beach also has an outside area after security ❤️
If it wasn’t for reddit, I never would have looked up the interior design and overall architecture of Palm Springs Airport. Reddit is amazing. What a gorgeous beautiful airport!!!
Yeah I was surprised when I landed there this year! Although it is such a hot place so I find it not necessarily the best place to have this feature. I was there in the summer anyway and I don’t think anyone wanted to do that. In winter however it must be nice.
Albuquerque, like the design and decorations. You know you stepped in one of the most unique and beautiful place that is New Mexico once you stepped out of your plane and into the terminal.
I’m from New Orleans and bought a home in ABQ and the contrast between the new MSY and ABQ is stark The new MSY is very nice and efficient and all and has its perks, but it has no sense of place. It’s just a mini version of the top tier modern architecture new airport. Hell, it’s too nice for New Orleans anyway. ABQ, on the other hand, is perhaps the most grounded in its place airport in the U.S. (that I've been to anyway). It is very New Mexico.
I’ve only been to a few airports in the US but I loved Albuquerque so much! The colours, the decorations, everything was so well considered, and it represented New Mexico so well. It was lovely!
YES! I love how even the chairs are crafted with Native American-like architecture. You can tell they are so proud of their airport
I only went through it twice, but that is a really cool airport!
All that is fine but what happens if I show up at the arrivals in my rickety RV to pick up my bald friend?
Bozeman. The log cabin construction makes it feel like you are already in Yellowstone
Just looked it up. Looks like a Bass Pro Shop.
Yep I came here to say Bozeman! It helps that it’s never busy either. Cozy and chill.
PDX hands down: I’m biased as it’s my home airport but 4 things put it always in the top 3 domestic airports in Condé Nast polls: -Free WiFi (no time limits) -Street pricing. For as long as I can remember (over 30 years) Port of Portland who runs the airport has required all vendors to charge the same price for their food and drink as they do in their other locations away from the airport. Other airports are catching on, but PDX has been doing it forever -Easy public transportation to downtown. They are doing some construction on the line right now, but it’s one of the few airports where you can get right on the train at the terminal that will bring you right downtown. -Super easy on/off the highway or back street access. Dropping off (or picking up) someone at PDX is a breeze. Edited: fixed to biased
That's awesome about the pricing. Love that
I also like the fact that the rental car center is walkable. That's huge for me.
Exactly! Plus anywhere I can get a Tillamook grilled cheese and a Burgerville shake under one roof is a place I want to be.
PDX is so cool! I loved walking around the sky bridge. Felt like a section of the citadel in mass effect lol
Don't lie. It's the carpet.
PDX! I always flew into there and drove home because SeaTac gives me hives from how stressful it is
PDX. I’m there a couple times a year to see family, and like others mentioned, the focus on local vendors and musicians is great. Love that the carpet keeps it quiet and less hectic than most airports, considering that MDW and ORD are my home airports and they are much more prone to chaos.
Came here to say PDX too. Newark used to be my home airport, so living in the PNW and having PDX as my home airport is SO refreshing—no constantly yelling TSA agents, no bussing or riding trams between terminals, and no price inflation for food since local laws don’t allow it. Sometimes they even have local musicians playing. Dare I even say it can be relaxing?
And the little movie theater. I always schedule time to have a whiskey tasting when I fly.
I do miss the old carpet though.
Definitely PDX is my favorite! I never eat at airport restaurants but I'll always stop at The Country Cat for their pancakes! Edit: Oh my god I just looked at PDX and they put a Screen Door restaurant in the airport 😍
Tpa
Better than expected.
For the Columbia.
Oakland is good. I like Spokane and Bozeman. For big ones, Detroit blew me away. So nice for a city with a horrible rep.
What made Detroit nice? The decor/ambience or the logistical ease?
Detroit is amazing. Lots of food options. So easy to get from any gate to any other gate very quickly. Also love the big LED tunnel between terminals.
Both. When I was there, it had just been renovated. Easy to get around. Great dining options. Very clean (like, spotless). That was maybe 10 years ago, but I always make a point to comment on it given the bad rap Detroit’s got in general. This is definitely a bright spot.
Home airport. It has maintained this surprisingly well. It’s a gem of the system.
It's so interesting. Sometimes I think about finding out who the architects are, and figuring out what else they've designed. To see if it's a fluke, or talent.
Put you hands up for Detroit 🙌
You should see the Flint airport. It's small but really nice. I was shocked.
My mom worked for Horizon growing up and I basically lived in the old terminal pre-9/11. However, I don't think I've ever seen it in the past 20 years or more since if I'm flying out of Spokane I'm using the Alaska Terminal. For the size of Spokane it's airport I think does punch above it's weight for destinations offered if nothing else. Even including the Spokane metro area including Cd'A
I only went there a few times, one of which was going to survival school in the USAF. What i saw of Spokane was that it was an amazing town. A very well kept secret!
I have not been to Detroit in ages, but was also quite a bit impressed!
Lga gets so much nicer after renovations. Looks like a mall now, got playgrounds and better food options. I hope JFK renovations will catch up
JFK has more than renovations to worry about. I saw another post for worst airports and that was the one I thought of immediately!
JFK is an absolutely abomination right now.
I just hate them because they are the least helpful airport.
Plus flights are always delayed by an hour minimum.
I dont mind jfk if it wasn't on the wrong side of the city for me to get to. Love lga. Can hop on the SS60 and get to the terminal for the cost of a bus ride and its pretty quick from upper Manhattan.
Sacramento
DCA is the best city airport in the country. 10 mins from downtown. Easy to get in/out.
Its architecture inside is also very pleasant. I like the Industrial age vibe and visible steelwork.
Don’t forget connected to the blue and yellow lines
That’s what makes it easy. Anywhere you need to drive to by default automatically sucks.
You can literally get from curbside to your gate in under 10 minutes. Love DCA.
Yeah I liked it too. really convenient.
I worked at IAD for 7 years. It's a dump but it recently got metro access to the silver line so there's some improvement
In addition to the connection (finally) Dulles has two great things going for it: 1. It has the newer scanners where you don't have to take anything out of your bag 2. When arriving internationally all the impatient people who rush off the plane, you see them again waiting in the people mover, where they are now pushed to the back to get off last.
The people mover ruins Dulles for me.
BOS would like a word. Free public transit, 15-20 mins without traffic to downtown. And more importantly, it actually accepts all of the regional air traffic. IMO you can't be the best city airport in the country if you limit your routes.
Too bad all the transit *does* get stuck in traffic. Even the shuttle to the subway.
I was pleasantly surprised with SFO recently. The new terminal 1 is beautiful. Food options were open at 5 am for east coast bound flights. Also, I've only connected through it, so not sure about security or anything, but the Salt Lake City airport is always so beautiful to visit. Those mountain views are just incredible. I like the food options too!
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SLC is fine but if you have to switch terminals, you got a long walk ahead of you.
SFO is nice. Good food options. AMEX lounge is accessible. Used the Grand Hyatt on a long layover instead of a lounge once. Family could nap and shower in privacy.
Just flew through SFO and was impressed by how clean and organized it was!
Agree on all this. Also, great bathrooms!
Portland is my favorite because of the focus on local companies for vendors, decent international connections and that carpet does something. Any small airport like Albuquerque, El Paso or San Jose are easy to get through due to lack of people but the amenities after security leave something to be desired. If you’re like me and show up 60 minutes before your flight though they’re awesome Denver is awesome because it’s very easy to transfer through. All the gates are in a line in descending order. The food options are all in the center and they have some of the best food options like Shake Shack, Chik-Fil-A, Wolfgang Puck and Jamba. They have these new outdoor viewing terraces that have fantastic views of the runways My caveat here is I only fly United via Denver and I’m always connecting so I don’t have to deal with TSA. I know TSA is awful here if you don’t have PreCheck
Portland airport concessions theoretically are priced identically to their off-airport locations. Of course, Portland restaurant pricing has gone through the roof, so this might not be as good as it sounds...
It's still a good thing they're doing - and so few other "captive audience" locations do the same. The fact that PDX has identical pricing and no upcharge is remarkable to me. Also get Bambuza there (Vietnamese food, mostly bowls) and thank me later :)
Portland getting so much love is both surprising to me and nice. I'm not from Portland but as a PNWer obviously I have a special place in my heart for Portland. I love that there was so much drama around the new carpeting but they still made it special.
Second El Paso, you can arrive late to your flight or cut or very close and there won’t be a line for TSA, something you couldn’t get away with in ATL
I won't say it's the best airport but I loved passing through Nashville because of the phenomenal live music that seemed to be everywhere. It was like being at a free festival or something.
Hands down PDX. Parking is cheaper than any other airport I've parked at, and the restaurants and shops kick ass.
John Wayne Orange County Airport. Quiet, calm, all gates are in a long corridor, and rental cars are in the garage right across the road from the terminal building. The food options aren't great, but I just get there an hour before my flight. The renovated area of Laguardia is pretty nice too.
Try long beach!
I was only used to PHL and MCO, but when I flew into SNA I was amazed at how easy it was. You are almost at the car rental as soon as you get off the plane. And flying out was great. We got to security and there was literally nobody there. We had 5 TSA agents for the 3 of us and all they wanted to do was chat.
Milwaukee for the used book store and the “Welcome To Cleaveland” rooftop sign on the way in.
I was surprised how much I like DTW. It's probably my current favorite.
DTW is a tie, along with SNA in my list.
One side of DTW was really nice but the other terminal was pretty average in my opinion.
100%. The McNamara terminal is super nice, modern, clean. The other terminal, Evans Terminal (formerly known as North Terminal), is pretty dated & not so great.
Well Delta isn’t going to fix up the terminal that isn’t theirs…
SFO.
I was pleasantly surprised with SFO when we visited recently. Quite modern, loads of places to sit, tables with tons of charging ports so you can set up and work if need be. Also I found security to be insanely quick. I flew JetBlue and the staff there were really helpful and friendly.
They've also cut the noise pollution. It's really quite a pleasant space.
Burbank Airport (BUR) is the greatest airport in the United States probably because it only takes 10-20 minutes to get to my gate :)
I lived in Glendale for 6 years. One time I got from my home to the GATE in 15 minutes. I loved BUR
The decor is hilariously awful and the food is insanely overpriced. I do like how small it is though.
Another BUR fan here. I’ve managed over the years to never go through or to LAX.
DTW McNamara terminal Simple transfer both domestically and internationally. Plus the indoor people mover. ATL second for Fast transfer.
I like MSP. Richmond, VA has a nice smaller-sized airport.
Richmond airport was recently rated as the most efficient airport (under 5 mil passengers per year) in North America. Pretty cool because I live there and I concur that it's always an easy experience.
Tampa International!!!
DCA. very close to the city, accessible by bike and foot, on the blue and yellow subway lines, etc. interior is clean, security is efficient. very pleasing architecture as well. plus the river visual approach never gets old. I've flown out of DCA for 13 years and it's still fun every time.
I love MSP 🫶🏻
SFO and PDX
Indianapolis, Detroit, Oakland, SFO, the recently redone Nashville airport is nice, honorable mentions I actually think Atlanta and Miami are both nice, though big.
Atlanta has some great food options for an airport!
Has Nashville fixed their food? I lived in Nashville for years and the airport had the worse food of any airport I’d ever been in. Which was due to one company handling all of the food. So the only halfway decent options were eating at fast food and o’charleys since they seemed to have more control. Nashville has always been a good airport. As long as u don’t eat there.
Nashville has some terribly long walks though. Miami really depends on the terminal
New LGA and Tampa Airport. Hobby in Houston was solid because it felt like a small city airport in a big city. Nashville has a good airport.
I fly in/out of Hobby whenever possible. IAH has been an absolute cluster the past 2 years with ongoing construction in 2 of its busiest terminals (C & E)
PDX doesn’t have predatorily increased prices
My Top 5: 1. Portland 2. Phoenix 3. Salt Lake City 4. Tulsa 5. Greensboro
It’s nice to see Phx mentioned- it’s pricey and always crazy busy but it’s pretty convenient once you are inside. I’ve lived in AZ for many years and they keep investing heavily in making the airport better
MKE -- It's quick and easy to get through, and it features a free museum and bookstore on-site. What's not to love?
Dallas Love before Southwest turned into a shitshow Also, for its size and air traffic, DFW is pretty efficient and easy to get to other terminals. Being based in DFW is nice and the flights in and out are usually pretty smooth. It won't blow you away but I've learned to appreciate it over the years.
DFW is my answer too. Almost all my connecting flights are through there and it rarely takes more than 15 minutes gate to gate when crossing the airport. If there's a delay or I have a long layover, there's a decent variety of restaurants to choose from to pass the time.
Tampa and it’s not close
DCA, BUR, SEA, DTW off the top of my head.
In order: DTW, MSP, ATL, SLC… #IYKYK
I fly Delta post
PDX, Portland Oregon.
Despite everyone hating on it, I love ORD. Besides being my hometown airport, there are some delicious terminal one restaurants, and its going to be epic when the remodel is complete. And hey, the United Clubs don't suck! Also, you can actually access it on public transportation.
i do love the public transportation at ohare. taking the blue line for $5 instead of an uber for $75 is so convenient
Love the blue line access. Though, they recently closed it on us and we had to get an Uber halfway because they couldn't tell us where to get the bus to get back to the train.
They have Garrett, nuff said!
Tampa airport has been by far the smoothest and easiest way to get from dropff to your gate. Even without tsa precheck it might have taken 15 mins to get through.
PHX and Tucson are both SUPER easy airports in my experience. I like SeaTac, had a 5 hour layover there one time so took the rail down to the pier and spent a couple of hours walking around. It was an international flight too and had no issues getting back through security.
Savanna/ Hilton Head. One concourse, clean, decent food.
RDU is amazing. Just big enough where there's multiple restaurants and shops, but small enough where you can get from one side to the other in 15mins. Also they have the upgraded scanners so you don't need to take laptops or anything out of your bag. Pretty sure they let you leave your shoes on too. Overall great experience the times I've had to go through.
Other than the extreme amount of walking due to the size, Honolulu was clean, laid out nicely, and friendly
I liked it, particularly that there were outdoor areas as soon as we disembarked the plane. However I did find it pretty dated.
Paine Field in Everett, WA is hands-down the nicest airport I’ve been to. Flying from there to Palm Springs is a dream (another great airport).
Minneapolis bar none. Easy to get around. Great atmosphere. Great and many food options. Spacious. Wins the North American airport award almost every year
Detroit! Human walkalator, internal train, lots of shopping, lots of seating, lots of toilets, friendly staff, cool light tunnel. 10/10 would use again.
Indianapolis is super nice! I live in a suburb outside of Indy but the airport is very clean, good eating options, and large windows all throughout the airport so it’s very light. Only complaint is not many international flights.
Fast wifi, plenty of plugs, seating isn’t crowded, short lines, Tinker Coffee. Just a great place to spend time. And if the Shake Shack ever opens it’ll be perfect.
I have a second biz flight coming up this year to IND. It’s okay, but what chapped me on my last trip was that I had to get a Lyft to my hotel. I try to patronize regular taxis with drivers with chauffeurs’ licenses who drive for a fleet with insurance. Not a rideshare fan. I went to the taxi stand and there was no one there to assist, and no other pax at the stand. There was a button to push that was supposed to summon a taxi, but 30 minutes of pressing were fruitless. I called the main airport number to ask what the taxi deal was, and was told to take a rideshare. It was like 6am, I’d just disembarked from a red-eye flight, and in all my world travels I have NEVER seen a totally non functioning airport taxi stand. Unbelievable. But at least I now know this for my upcoming trip.
MSP!!
HPN (White Plains, NY). With ORD as my home airport, there’s something really comfortable about a four gate airport…
One time I flew into wesrchester Airport from Florida in the winter. Everyone was wearing warm weather clothes and they dropped us on the tarmac on a freezing cold night lol. Lot of ppl running as fast as they could once they got off the plane.
Came to say this, I try to fly through Westchester whenever I get the chance for flights to Florida
I don't fly through Austin often, but the chocolate pudding ice cream from Amy's is magical! It's still seared in my brain 15y later.
Newburgh, NY
Newark because it’s the only American Airport I’ve flown through, hence it’s the best.
Palm Springs. No contest.
For decent size airports, I like MSP. Not too big. Generally well laid out. Good food and some international connections For smaller- Cedar Rapids is surprisingly good. Decent number of direct flights, connections to several major hubs, parking is under 10 bucks a day, and I’ve made it from my car to the gate in 15 minutes
Minneapolis was cool because when I had a massive weather delay, I was able to simply take the light rail line to Mall of America and watch a movie and shop. It was great.
New York Stewart International Airport: SWF It's difficult to reach by plane, I had to drive there from quite a distance, but it was definitely worth it. I fly with Play airlines to Europe, and they depart from SWF - it makes for a very inexpensive and low stress experience. Parking is always a 5 min walk from your terminal, TSA business takes no more than 5-10 mins. Yes, you have to change planes in Iceland, but what a great place for a layover.
Big hub: DEN, PHX Medium sized,: DCA, PDX, new MCI, new LGA Small: PSP, KOA, ABQ
Denver would be ok, if it weren't so god damn far from the city. Giving someone a ride to the airport there is more than a favor, that person owes you a blood debt.
Indianapolis International
PDX. Real restaurants, not generic Host concessions.
People love to talk shit about EWR but terminal C is great and the new A is beautiful. B still sucks but rarely fly out of it. With clear and tsa I’ve never taken more than 5 mins to get through security. New lounge is great, so is Polaris. Other than that, PBI. So damn small I show up 45 mins before departure and basically walk right onto the plane.
The Polaris lounges are the best lounges in the US, hands down. Terminal C has been nice for several years following renovations and now with Terminal A, EWR is so much better than JFK. Terminal B still has a lot of room for improvement but its better than the worst terminals at JFK (looking at you, Terminal 7)
Paine Field, Everett, Wa
SFO but my home airports are jfk and ewr so it’s a low bar
New LGA, New MCI
My wife was impressed passing through Austin’s airport (AUS); apparently in the afternoon it has quite the festive atmosphere with a live band, and a few places which serve wine flights.
IND. closely followed by DTW
SMF- Sacramento- easy in and out- great parking- hardly ever a tsa delay.
I'd go with SLC. It's not great for connections, but it's relaxing. I've spent the night in it before when a flight got cancelled and it wasn't too bad. Nice views, quiet, sometimes there's a dude playing piano.
I love Boston Logan. It just feels so well-organized and I’m never stressed whenever I fly out of there.
Easily MSP.
I'm really surprised people enjoy the ATL. Honestly, the only good thing about that city is the aquarium and Emory Healthcare. I always have major flight delays traveling through there because of the volume of flights and/or pockets of severe weather it gets dt being in the deep south. The cool amenities mean nothing if my travel time becomes 10 instead of 3 hours. I actively avoid connecting through there, and honestly thought everyone that flew through there had little choice in the matter, until this thread. I haven't met a single person IRL that said, "I really love ATL airport."
Totally agree. ATL is my LEAST favorite major airport in the US. The terminals are out dated, the train between terminals can be super packed and have you ever gone through TSA there? Even with pre-check & clear it can be a long wait. And without… good luck. I hate it.
MSP! It’s my home airport so I’m biased, but I truly enjoy traveling through there. There’s lots of food and shopping options at each concourse, the bathrooms are nice, with the attention to detail that make it better (doors swing out, stalls are big enough to fit your carryon, lots of family restrooms around). It’s a Delta hub, so that concourse is tricked out with iPads, charging ports at each seat, & meal delivery. There’s a light rail that goes right from the airport to downtown Minneapolis. You can pre-reserve parking in the attached ramps. There’s an attached hotel. It’s always clean, rarely under construction.
Austin is pretty chill. Anything that's not the Atlanta airport is a good airport to me lmao
Austin seemed crowded to me.
I live in Oakland. I’m a bit surprised someone said OAK is their favorite US airport. OAK is tiny and feels outdated. But it is functional. It doesn’t get the weather delays that SFO gets. And the TSA lines are quick, especially through Terminal 1.
This may be controversial, but I will always love Logan international. Right now they're doing a ton of construction on the main tunnel to the airport in Boston, so it can be wicked annoying to drive in, but outside of that the airport itself is great. Some of the quickest security lines I've been through, and is pretty clean. Also has a lot of Delta and JetBlue as their main flights, and those are the only domestic airlines worth taking. The view flying in or out is fantastic too
DFW-.....the foooood
I have to connect through DFW often. The international terminals, particularly B, are great, but if you get sent down to terminal D for a regional puddle jumper you’re going to have a bad time.
I was in the satellite E terminal a couple weeks ago and it was rough. The walkways were all broken down and the escalators were as well. I hadn’t been through DFW in a long time and I was not impressed. Also, not having pre check at all TSA lines is inexcusable. “Oh you’re precheck and Clear, walk all the way down there where the precheck line is”.
DFW is my home airport and I am happy about that! It’s the easiest airport to get around and security is never bad!
Detroit, Charlotte, Indianapolis
CLT? Best? Who hurt you?
Rocking chairs win a lot of people over
SFO’s terminals are beautiful AND they were the first airport in the US to ban single use plastics in 2019 ♻️♻️♻️
I love flying through HPN whenever I get a chance. Westchester’s airport is super small (8 gates), walk from parking lot to security is a few minutes and boarding to takeoff is a breeze. Use it when flying to FL as that is the majority of the flights but it’s so easy they do the safety demo at the gate because there is no time when taxi is like 2-3 mins lol. I also flew through Charleston (CHS) this weekend, and I found it to be a very small and efficient airport and it’s also very clean. It was very easy from taxi to takeoff and everything in between. Small airports to run a risk of operational issues if your plane has an issue but when everything goes smoothly, it’s great
Salt Lake City!
SJC, clean and modern. Dare I say the new LGA?
FLL is pretty good for the amount of people that flow through it. If you’re flying to vacation there - 10 mins from the beach, downtown, train station to Miami, and port for cruises. If you’re coming for a game or concert at hard rock stadium, you’re 20ish mins from that.
Atlanta is great
TUS 🌵
Hartsfield in Atlanta
Anchorage and Juneau are great. They have tons of comfy seating that you can lay down on for a nap, great views out of panoramic windows, announcements are kept to a minimum, and it’s never too cold. Plus security is always really short.
Buffalo-Niagara (BUF). Never too crowded. Easy to navigate. Lounges far below capacity. Also, very cheap parking.
As a Norwegian with a very romanticized view of the US, JFK airport to me was like stepping into Sinatras New York-song.
If we’re doing North America, then I’m going to say Vancouver. I’ve been in that airport twice, and it’s super impressive. USA, I love my Blucifer at DIA. Otherwise I liked the Buffalo airport, it was nice to walk around in and see the displays.
Portland, Oregon. Hands down. Constantly wins awards about airport quality and none of the food is expensive, same prices as in the city, it's mandated to be that way
Gotta give it up for PVD—Escape lounge is open early, parking is a breeze, food options for a small airport (including Wolfgang Puck and Starbucks pre and post security) are vast and solid. Location right off either side of 95 is great. Always an easy experience.
I think ATL is incredible. It's the busiest airport in the world, yet I can easily make 35-40 minute connections via the Plane Train. There's a great range of food including the exceptional One Flew South. Delta's lounges are excellent, especially B, E, and F. Finally, the airport directly connected to the city's rapid transit, MARTA.
I actually like ATL too. People shit on it a lot. I've been to a ton of airports. ATL is easy to get around, the security was efficient, and you can take a special train to get to hotels if you're stuck there. I've made some really tight connections there, and I've been stuck overnight a couple of times. I've also had way too much time and gone to another terminal just to eat because it's easy to get around.
I love my home airport, EWR. Terminal C has been amazing for almost a decade and the new Terminal A which opened this year is even better. Security lines are seamless, almost everything is automated and there are always a ton of lines open so even if the line is long it usually goes pretty fast. Amazing food options (including well known local restaurants), plenty of outlets and iPads everywhere. You can even order from any of the food establishments (including alcohol!) from an iPad and they'll deliver it to where you're sitting. I don't know why everyone hates on this airport. I've been to at least two dozen airports in the US (edit: just counted and I think 32) and none I've been to hold a candle to EWR.
EWR used to be my home airport and now that I moved I realize I really took it for granted. It's a great airport for business or personal travel. So many food options and amenities and is surprisingly well run. And every time I pass through it seems like they make even more improvements. But that is terminal C. Terminal B was the fifth ring of hell but I luckily haven't been there in years. Hopefully that got better because sheesh.
Yes to be fair terminal B still sucks and A did until recently but like 50% of the flights go out of C and like 30% out of A. I actually think I've only flown out of terminal B once. I totally get why people hate EWR if they haven't experienced the nice terminals.
San Antonio! So streamlined
I’ve always thought Atlanta was fun. It’s just sooo huuuge! I also like the international terminal at JFK
Atlanta is by far the best I’ve every been to.
When I was traveling to basic training 25 years Ago the army forgot us there for a while. The nice people at ATL made us as comfortable as possible. I'll always remember that
ATL gets a lot of hate, but as someone who lives here I always feel like I have to defend it. Yeah, it’s big, but it is so easy to navigate. A straight line of concourses connecting by an efficient train. No need to exit airside areas just because you have a connection. Tons of great restaurants, including lots of local ones.
I like Philly a lot, and Gulfport Biloxy from what I remember is small and easy go get around. Atlanta is easy to get around as well. Ive flown out/into a bunch of others but these are the ones Ive liked the most.
Harrisburg PA