Best International Airports: We’re Number 18

Infrastructure Technology and Innovation
Written By Sadie Cornelius

In 2014, Vice President Joe Biden said that if he blindfolded someone and took her to La Guardia Airport in New York, she would think she was in “some third world country.” Indeed, for years, American airports had been neglected, with private and public funds not keeping up with demand and with needed improvements and repairs. International surveys, like the one conducted by Skytrax, showed, year after year, that American airports were being outclassed by new and improved airports in Asia and Europe. Since 1999, Skytrax, an airline and airport review and ranking consulting firm based in London, has been conducting customer satisfaction reviews on some 550 airports throughout the world. Its rankings are based on a wide variety of factors, including the airport’s website, getting to and from the airport, attitudes of airport staff, cleanliness of restrooms, lost luggage services, children’s play areas, WI-FI access and speed, and perceptions of airport security and safety.

The best America could do was the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, ranking 18th worldwide. The best airports were Changi Airport (Singapore), Doha Hama International Airport (Qatar), Tokyo Haneda International Airport (Japan), Seoul Inchon International Airport (Korea), and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (France).

Other American airports in the 2023 ranking were Houston Hobby International Airport (Number 32); Houston George Bush Airport (35); Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky (46); San Francisco International Airport (48); New York La Guardia International Airport (57); Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport (62); Los Angeles International Airport (63); Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (66); Denver International Airport (71); New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (88); Phoenix International Airport (94); Boston Logan International Airport (96); and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (99).

Sources: “Biden Compares La Guardia Airport to ‘Third World,’” New York Times, February 6, 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/07/nyregion/biden-compares-la-guardia-airport-to-third-world.html. Skytrax World Airport Awards, 2023, https://www.worldairportawards.com/worlds-top-100-airports-2023/.

Sadie Cornelius

Sadie K Cornelius is a proud Longhorn and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin’s Moody School of Communications with a Bachelor's in Advertising and a minor in Business.

She has more than 15 years of experience in Squarespace website and graphic design for 200+ clients all over the world.

A fourth generation business owner Sadie is passionate about helping others through creating compelling visuals and cohesive brand identities. She’s been featured in Forbes as a female-owned company, has taught several digital marketing classes at General Assembly, is a volunteer for non-profit organizations.

Sadie enjoys traveling the world, spending time with her husband, King Charles Cavalier, and families in the Carolinas. Originally from Kansas City, Sadie resides in Washington DC (but is forever an Austin girl at heart).

https://www.skc-marketing.com
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