The Best Mega Airport In The US Is A Bustling Midwestern Hub Beloved By Travelers

The airport experience can be grueling, with crazy early arrivals, long lines, canceled flights, and shock-inducing prices on everything from bottled water to burgers. Everyone has a horror story of spending hours on the tarmac just to disembark, or last-minute cancellations, and trying to find a comfortable corner for sleep. To be fair, it's not always the fault of the airport or the airline. Weather happens. Volcanoes erupt. And with 90,000 passenger flights every day, mechanical issues are inevitable. When thinking about the airport logistics, with hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers streaming through year-round, it's a miracle that there aren't more mishaps. Luckily for us, airports are improving.

Every year, J.D. Power releases a report with rankings of the best airports in North America. The results are based on over 30,000 flyer surveys from U.S. or Canadian residents. For the second year in a row, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) took the top spot for the Mega Airport Category (defined as those that welcome at least 33 million annual passengers). Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport took the second and third spots, respectively. A Redditor emphasized MSP's effectiveness in r/Minneapolis: "I travel quite a bit for work, about 40 round trips a year ... This year I was able to visit MSP three times. I have to say I do NOT dread hanging at this airport." So, is the staff simply "Minnesota nice." or is something more strategic happening? Let's take a closer look.

In its 2025 survey, J.D. Power evaluated airports on seven main areas, including ease of travel through the airport, terminal facilities, and airport staff. Part of MSP's great reputation is probably due to the multiple, decade-long renovation projects that cost a cool $600 million, elevating its old 1960s-era design into a larger, more efficient space. The modern facilities surely helped 37.2 million passengers flow through the airport in 2024 without any major reputation-damaging mishaps.

As does the MSP Reserve program, where flyers can make an appointment for the TSA security screening up to a week before their flight, and then bypass the standard security checkpoint lines. One of the first things you'll notice on the MSP website is a search bar where you can input the flight information of upcoming arrivals or departures. Below that is real-time information on security wait times and parking availability for both terminals. It all shows they're anticipating questions and thinking about the traveler's airport experience.

Once at the airport, there are art installations, floor mosaics, live music, and food options that reflect a bit of Minnesota's food scene. Even in retail, there's local flavor, with a Prince Store that offers one-of-a-kind merchandise and celebrates the Minnesota legend, as well as local handcrafted gifts at Minnesota State of Nice. Minneapolis itself is an underrated American city that needs to be on your bucket list; its number-one-rated airport adds another reason to fly to this northern Midwest gem. 

While some top-rated airports in the world might be outside North America, like this classy one with a mountain-inspired design, the J.D. Power survey found an overall increase in passenger satisfaction right here at home. As for the other winners, in the Large Airport Category (10 to 32.9 million annual passengers), John Wayne Airport in Orange County took the number one spot. Indianapolis International Airport, for the fourth year in a row, was the best in the Medium Airport Category (4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year).

While there are nostalgic features you won't find in an airport these days, a reason for higher overall satisfaction has been improvements in food, beverage, and retail programs. Passengers appreciate having local food and drinks in the terminals, something MSP does well. A Redditor expressed it perfectly in r/Minneapolis: "It acts as an ambassador for MN and the Twin Cities for people flying through by showcasing the best of MN food and culture, and it is built on the understanding of its environs, i.e. it needs to be a space not awful to be stuck in for an extra hour or three due to weather." An extra hour in MSP wouldn't be the worst thing. Got even more time to kill? Spend it with the therapy dogs at the Terminal 1 petting station. 

It's no surprise we're enjoying the airport experience more despite record numbers of passengers and prevalent flight cancellations. The trends are looking up. Airports don't have to be repetitive, generic traps of long, miserable passageways, and reheated, soggy food. We're inevitably going to get stuck there for one reason or another. At least now, when it does, we can enjoy local cuisine and maybe even spend the layover petting a puppy.