The 12 Best Airports in the United States

A few of these move a hundred thousand people a day without visible effort; the rest make you earn your gate.

1

Los Angeles International (LAX)

The country's busiest origin-and-destination airport, mid-way through a multi-billion rebuild.

2

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta

The world's busiest airport by passenger count, and its most efficient connector.

3

Denver International

White peaked roof on the plains, with room to grow that older hubs never had.

4

San Francisco International

A J.D. Power favourite among mega airports, led by its Harvey Milk terminal.

5

John F. Kennedy International

New York's gateway, rebuilt terminal by terminal around the old TWA Flight Center.

6

Portland International

Carpet with a cult following and a mass-timber roof over the main hall.

7

Minneapolis-Saint Paul

Consistently near the top of satisfaction studies for a cold-weather hub.

8

Seattle-Tacoma

Mount Rainier out the window and a compact walk between gates.

9

Dallas/Fort Worth

Its own zip code, five terminals and a train that circles them all.

10

Chicago O'Hare

Six runways, a neon tunnel and weather that decides the national schedule.

11

Charlotte Douglas

White rocking chairs in the atrium of an unusually calm mega hub.

12

Tampa International

A hub-and-spoke design from 1971 that still beats most modern layouts.