No. 6 Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
Chicago O’Hare (ORD) (Photo: Mira / Alamy)
The best feature of O’Hare is its public transportation to and from the airport (with a score of five out of 22). It ranked 17th for design, cleanliness, and location. The overall check-in and security experience came in with a poor showing of 17, while a reputation for snarled flights and stormy winter weather resulted in a ranking of 21 out of 22 for delays.
No. 7 Washington Dulles (IAD)
Washington Dulles (IAD) (Photo: Visions of America, LLC / Alamy)
Flying into the nation’s capital? Well, Dulles is disparaged for its location (19th ranking) and baggage handling (15th). Flying out of Dulles? Expect long lines at check-in and security (15th) and staff who won’t exactly jump to attention (17th). The cleanliness and design of Dulles (15th) won’t lift your spirits either. Our survey suggests it’s worth considering routing your D.C. plans through Baltimore instead.
No. 8 Boston (BOS)
Boston (BOS) (Photo: Courtesy of Logan International Airport)
Logan Airport is far from the cleanest major airport (17th) in the country, according to T+L readers. Nor is the staff known for its rapid response when something goes wrong (rated 18 out of 22 for customer service). You’ll probably wait in check-in and security lines (16th), and when you arrive, factor in extra time to wait for your baggage as well (17th). On the plus side, Logan is lauded for its convenient location (seventh).
No. 9 Houston (IAH)
Houston (IAH) (Photo: Courtesy of Houston Airport System)
The best that could be said about Houston is that there’s a reasonably good chance that your flight will take off and not be canceled. The bad news? It has a less-than-desirable location (18th) and lousy Wi-Fi (17th). But remarkably for such a big airport, it had a strong showing in the category of baggage handling (sixth).
No. 10 Atlanta (ATL)
Atlanta (ATL) (Photo: Courtesy of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport)
Public transportation to and from the airport was lauded in Atlanta. But a string of solid 14th-ranked scores—for longish waits at check-in and security lines, less than user-friendly Wi-Fi, slow baggage handling, average staff responsiveness, and location—kept it locked in 14th place on our score sheet. The shortage of kid-friendly areas was also an issue, given the vast size of this hub.
No. 11 Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)
Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) (Photo: Courtesy of DFW)
Chicago O’Hare (ORD) (Photo: Mira / Alamy)The best feature of O’Hare is its public transportation to and from the airport (with a score of five out of 22). It ranked 17th for design, cleanliness, and location. The overall check-in and security experience came in with a poor showing of 17, while a reputation for snarled flights and stormy winter weather resulted in a ranking of 21 out of 22 for delays.
No. 7 Washington Dulles (IAD)
Washington Dulles (IAD) (Photo: Visions of America, LLC / Alamy)Flying into the nation’s capital? Well, Dulles is disparaged for its location (19th ranking) and baggage handling (15th). Flying out of Dulles? Expect long lines at check-in and security (15th) and staff who won’t exactly jump to attention (17th). The cleanliness and design of Dulles (15th) won’t lift your spirits either. Our survey suggests it’s worth considering routing your D.C. plans through Baltimore instead.
No. 8 Boston (BOS)
Boston (BOS) (Photo: Courtesy of Logan International Airport)Logan Airport is far from the cleanest major airport (17th) in the country, according to T+L readers. Nor is the staff known for its rapid response when something goes wrong (rated 18 out of 22 for customer service). You’ll probably wait in check-in and security lines (16th), and when you arrive, factor in extra time to wait for your baggage as well (17th). On the plus side, Logan is lauded for its convenient location (seventh).
No. 9 Houston (IAH)
Houston (IAH) (Photo: Courtesy of Houston Airport System)The best that could be said about Houston is that there’s a reasonably good chance that your flight will take off and not be canceled. The bad news? It has a less-than-desirable location (18th) and lousy Wi-Fi (17th). But remarkably for such a big airport, it had a strong showing in the category of baggage handling (sixth).
No. 10 Atlanta (ATL)
Atlanta (ATL) (Photo: Courtesy of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport)Public transportation to and from the airport was lauded in Atlanta. But a string of solid 14th-ranked scores—for longish waits at check-in and security lines, less than user-friendly Wi-Fi, slow baggage handling, average staff responsiveness, and location—kept it locked in 14th place on our score sheet. The shortage of kid-friendly areas was also an issue, given the vast size of this hub.
No. 11 Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)
Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) (Photo: Courtesy of DFW)Readers singled out DFW’s flight information screens as especially helpful. But they were less enthusiastic about the check-in and security line process, for which the airport ranked eighth. With a middling 12th ranking in several categories—baggage handling, staff responsiveness, airport location, and Wi-Fi—DFW came out as a truly average airport. Not the best, but not the worst. At least it’s pretty clean (eighth).
