Congratulations, LaGuardia — for an air hub that was once compared to a “third world country” by both Joe Biden and Donald Trump, you are actually not the worst airport in the country.
That “honor” belongs to Chicago’s Midway International Airport.
In a new report on the best and worst U.S. airports by the travel site The Points Guy, Midway was singled out for its “bare-bones smattering” of restaurants and services, along with a terrible record of on-time departures and a lack of convenience to downtown Chicago. A more in-depth review referred to it as the “bus depot of American airports.”
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Some other findings from the survey, now in its fourth year and based on various factors, including airport amenities, commute time, on-time departures and even how much the airport tries to maintain a connection to its community.
A few notable tidbits from the survey:
- San Diego International Airport came in first. A more in-depth report on the airport praised the abundance of lights, funky sculptures, solid food options, lack of crowds and its 10-minute commute to downtown. There were even on-site ballet performances and roaming therapy dogs.
- Former no. 1 Phoenix only slipped a spot due to having a closed runway for two months.
- New York’s JFK won for amenities, defined as lounges, restaurants, quality of life and sustainability.
- If you want an on-time flight, fly out of Portland, OR.
- Somehow, after scoring the three lowest scores last year, the greater New York area’s three airports (JFK, Newark and LGA) finished 22nd, 34th and 45th this year out of 50. Some caveats: The list was expanded this year from 30 to 50, and more emphasis was placed on lounges. That apparently offsets the “airports’ terrible records of on-time flights and painful commute times.”
If you have a different opinion (on the best airport only), you can vote here.
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