MSP Airport tops North America passenger satisfaction ranking for 3rd straight year: Study

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has been ranked first as North America’s best mega airport in a passenger satisfaction study for the third year in a row. 

MSP Airport ranked top mega airport

The backstory:

MSP Airport came in No. 1 for the J.D. Power 2026 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, with a score of 684 out of 1,000. The MSP Airport held the top spot for a third year in a row in passenger satisfaction among mega airports, defined as those with 33 million or more passengers per year. 

The study is based on 24,710 surveys collected from U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport between July 2025 and July 2026. Airports were ranked on traveler’s satisfaction in seven categories including, ease of travel through airport; level of trust with airport; terminal facilities; airport staff; airport departure experience; food, beverage and retail; and airport arrival experience.

Here are the top five mega airports, according to the 2026 ranking:

1. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (684 points)
2. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (663 points)
3. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (642 points)
4. LaGuardia Airport (638 points)
5. Harry Reid International Airport (634 points)

What they're saying:

"This is an unprecedented achievement, especially given the consistently strong performance of airports across our size category," said Brian Ryks, CEO and executive director of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which owns and operates MSP. "Our repeat No. 1 ranking is a testament to the appreciation travelers have for the service, hospitality and amenities that make trips through MSP easy and memorable."

MSP Airport is the 17th busiest airport in North America, serving 36 million passengers in 2025. It serves as the second-largest hub for Delta Air Lines and the home base for Sun County Airlines, which was recently acquired by Allegiant Travel Company.

A look at other top airports 

Dig deeper:

The J.D. Power 2026 North America Airport Satisfaction Study also looks at overall passenger satisfaction with large airports (10 to 32.9 million passengers per year), and medium airports (4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year) using the same seven categories. 

Here are the top five large airports, according to the 2026 ranking: 

1. Tampa International Airport (715 points)
2. Portland International Airport (708 points)
3. Dallas Love Field (698 points)
4. Kansas City International (692 points)
5. Raleigh-Durham International Airport (685 points)

Here are the top five medium airports, according to the 2026 ranking: 

1. Charleston International Airport (712 points)
2. Ontario International Airport (705 points)
3. Indianapolis International Airport (695 points)
4. Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (694 points)
5. Hollywood Burbank Airport (688 points)

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