North American Airports See Gains in Passenger Satisfaction Thanks to Capital Improvements and Efforts to Localize Terminal Experience, J.D. Power Finds

TROY, Mich.: 17 Sept. 2025 — More than 10 million[1] passengers passed through Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) checkpoints at North American airports on Labor Day weekend this year, setting a new record for air travel passenger volume. Despite persistently crowded terminals, widespread flight delays and rising prices, overall satisfaction with North American airports is improving. According to the J.D. Power 2025 North America Airport Satisfaction Study,^SM released today, overall passenger satisfaction scores are up 10 points (on a 1,000-point scale) this year, driven largely by improvements in food, beverage and retail and ease of travel through the airport.

“While the annual growth rate in passenger volume seems to be leveling off, we’re still seeing record numbers of travelers pass through the nation’s airports, and, for the most part, they are enjoying the experience,” said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power. “A big part of this recent increase in passenger satisfaction is due to recently completed improvements in many airport facilities themselves. A few big capital improvement projects have now been completed and many more are underway or about to break ground.  A decades long trend of bringing unique, local flavor to the passenger experience has positively impacted the airport experience with these local touches having a major influence on passenger satisfaction.”

Following are some key findings of the 2025 study:

• Many airports continue to experience record passenger volumes: Despite record numbers of passengers and widespread flight cancellations and delays, overall satisfaction increases 8 points for mega airports, 10 points for medium airports and 15 points for large airports.
• Local flavors make a big difference: One of the bigger drivers of this year’s increase in passenger satisfaction is food, beverage and retail programs, which improved 14 points year over year across all airport segments. Airport efforts to incorporate authentic local food and beverage brands into their terminal offerings have helped to fuel that increase.
• Airport experience wields major influence on passenger spending: Passengers who rate their airport experience as “perfect” spend an average of $42.39 in the terminal. That is $16.54 more than passengers who rate their airport experience as “just OK.” Perfect experiences are rare, however, occurring in just 11% of journeys through the airport.
• Mega airport passengers experience longer wait times, more crowding: On average, 56% of passengers traveling through medium airports and 50% of those traveling through large airports spent 10 minutes or less getting through security. These passengers are also more likely to characterize the airport as “mildly crowded” or “not at all crowded.” Among mega airport passengers, however, 23% spent 21 minutes or more getting through security and 57% describe the airport as “moderately crowded.” 

J.D. Power finds that when airports create a genuine sense of location, overall satisfaction scores improve by an average of 190 points.

Study Rankings

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport ranks highest in passenger satisfaction among mega airports for a second consecutive year with a score of 660. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (649) ranks second and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (634) ranks third.

John Wayne Airport, Orange County ranks highest among large airports for a second consecutive year, with a score of 730. Tampa International Airport (709) ranks second and Dallas Love Field (705) ranks third.

Indianapolis International Airport ranks highest among medium airports for a fourth consecutive year, with a score of 713. Ontario International Airport (709) ranks second and Buffalo Niagara International Airport (698) ranks third.

The North America Airport Satisfaction Study, now in its 20^th year, measures overall passenger satisfaction with mega, large and medium North American airports by examining their experience across seven core dimensions (in order of importance): ease of travel through airport; level of trust with airport; terminal facilities; airport staff; departure/to airport experience; food, beverage and retail; and arrival/from airport experience. Mega airports are defined as those with 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports with 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year; and medium airports with 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year.

The 2025 study is based on 30,439 completed surveys from U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport and covers both departure and arrival experiences (including connecting airports) during the past 30 days. Passengers evaluated either a departing or arriving airport from their round-trip experience. The study was fielded from July 2024 through July 2025.

For more information about the North America Airport Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/north-america-airport-satisfaction-study. 

About J.D. Power
J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 55 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies. J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company's business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

Media Relations Contacts
Joe LaMuraglia, J.D. Power; East Coast; 714-621-6224; media.relations@jdpa.com
John Roderick; East Coast; 631-584-2200; john@jroderick.com 

About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

¹Transportation Security Administration, “TSA Screens Record 10.4 Million Individuals Over Labor Day Weekend,” September 3, 2025, https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2025/09/03/tsa-screens-record-104-million-individuals-over-labor-day-weekend