There’s nothing more exciting than packing your bags and heading off on your next vacation. Chances are, you’ll remain happy — unless you’re heading to an airport in Los Angeles.
Air travel has grown increasingly stressful over the years, with travelers plagued by canceled flights, overpriced food and drink, shrinking seat sizes and stingy amenities.
In its annual customer satisfaction study, J.D. Power ranked North American airports from the best to worst on six key factors — terminal facilities, airport arrival/departure, baggage claim, security check, check-in/baggage check and food, beverage and retail.
Several California airports made the list — for better or worse.
Two Los Angeles airports ranked quite poorly — the Hollywood-Burbank Airport was named the worst airport in its category, scoring 763 points out of a possible 1,000 points.
The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) was named third worst in its category, scoring 753 points out of a possible 1,000 points.
Airports were categorized based on sizes including “Mega,” “Large,” and “Medium.”
Over 26,000 fliers were surveyed for the study, with overall satisfaction declining from 2021, according to the study.
Almost 60% of travelers say airports are too crowded, while nearly one-fourth avoided purchasing food and beverage due to high prices. Lofty parking fees paired with difficult parking also dragged down the overall score.
The five worst mega airports in 2022 according to the J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study are:
- Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey
- O’Hare International Airport in Chicago
- Los Angeles International Airport
- Boston Logan International Airport
- Toronto Pearson International Airport
The five worst medium-sized airports are:
- Hollywood-Burbank Airport
- Kahului Airport in Hawaii
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio
- Bradley International Airport in Conecticut
- Eppley Airfield in Nebraska
On the flip side, the five best mega airports are:
- Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in Minnesota
- San Francisco International Airport
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport tie for third place
- Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas
- Orlando International Airport in Florida
“The combination of pent-up demand for air travel, the nationwide labor shortage and steadily rising prices on everything from jet fuel to a bottle of water have created a scenario in which airports are extremely crowded and passengers are increasingly frustrated—and it is likely to continue through 2023,” said Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power. “In some ways, this is a return to normal as larger crowds at airports tend to make travelers more frazzled, but in cases where parking lots are over capacity, gates are standing room only and restaurants and bars are not even open to offer some reprieve, it is clear that increased capacity in airports can’t come soon enough.”
Check out the full study on the best and worst airports in North America in 2022.