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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Ted Thornhill

Best North American airports for customer experience named in annual awards

The North American airports that deliver the best customer experiences have been named and here is where you can find them.

The Airport Service Quality Customer Experience Awards is run by Airports Council International World, the global trade body for airports, with the results determined by a benchmarking program that measures passenger satisfaction in real time at airports.

For the latest awards, nearly 707,000 passengers were surveyed worldwide.

In the prestigious “best airports at departures” category - the North American winners for airports serving over 40 million passengers a year - were Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Orlando International Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Over 700,000 passengers were surveyed for the awards for best customer experience at airports. Pictured is one of the winners: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (Getty Images)

In the 25 to 40 million sub-category, New York City’s LaGuardia Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport claimed gold.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Tampa International Airport were honored in the 15 to 25-million-passengers-per-year category.

Coming up tops in the “easiest airport journey” category were Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina, Indianapolis International Airport and Portland International Jetport in Maine.

Greenville-Spartanburg International was also recognized in the “most enjoyable airport” category, along with Orlando International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport.

The Customer Experience Awards, sponsored by aviation technology company SITA, also has a “most dedicated staff” category, with Greenville-Spartanburg named once again, alongside Gerald R. Ford International Airport (Grand Rapids, Michigan) and Portland International Jetport.

Orlando International Airport was honored in two categories — 'best airports at departures' and 'most enjoyable airport' (Getty Images)

The honorees in the “cleanest airport” category were almost mirrored. Gerald R. Ford International Airport and Greenville-Spartanburg came top, along with Salt Lake City International Airport.

Greenville-Spartanburg was also named in the ACI World Director General's Roll of Excellence, along with Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

This award "honors airports that demonstrate sustained leadership in customer experience over time."

Global winners included Punta Cana International Airport (Dominican Republic), Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport and Rome Fiumicino Airport in the "best at departures" category, and Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport and Monterrey International Airport (Mexico) in the "most enjoyable airport" category.

The results, noted ACI, come amid continued traffic growth, with global passenger volumes expected to increase from 9.8 billion in 2025 to 10.2 billion in 2026, placing increasing pressure on airports to deliver efficient, welcoming, and high-quality experiences at scale.

Airports Council International World Director General Justin Erbacci said: “These awards reflect the collective efforts of airport teams and stakeholders worldwide. As we celebrate the ASQ program's 20th Anniversary, we recognize two decades of trusted insights and recognition that have helped airports create better and more memorable journeys. Congratulations to all the ACI ASQ Customer Experience Award winners for their unwavering dedication to passenger experience."

"Air travel is evolving at pace, with passengers expecting more seamless and rewarding experiences than ever before," said Pedro Alves, Senior Vice President of Borders, SITA. "These awards recognize the exceptional work happening across airports every day."

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