Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport Named Best Mega Hub for Third Consecutive Year

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) has once again been recognized as the top mega airport in North America for the third consecutive year, according to the 2026 J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study. The airport surpassed other large hubs, including those serving New York and Los Angeles, to secure its leading position.

MSP earned a score of 684 on J.D. Power's 1,000-point scale. Travel industry expert Gary Leff noted that the airport excels in providing amenities for connecting passengers without requiring them to leave security areas. He also highlighted its convenient light rail access for local travelers.

"Minneapolis does a lot of things well," Leff told Fox News Digital. "Connecting passengers have plenty of amenities without having to leave security. Local passengers have an airport relatively close to both downtowns, with light rail access."

While Leff pointed out that passengers might face long walks between gates at MSP, he described the overall experience as manageable. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport followed Minneapolis in the mega airport category with 663 points, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport ranked third with 642 points.

In other airport size categories, Tampa International Airport led the large airport segment with a score of 715, followed by Portland International Airport (708) and Dallas Love Field (698). Charleston International Airport topped the medium airport category with 712 points, ahead of Ontario International Airport (705) and Indianapolis International Airport (695).

Leff commented on Tampa's strong performance, stating, "Tampa is very well organized, even though you do have to transit between your concourses." He described Charleston as easy to navigate due to its manageable size.

Overall passenger satisfaction saw an increase across all three airport categories surveyed. Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality, and retail at J.D. Power, attributed the rise in satisfaction to extensive capital improvement projects that many of the highest-ranked airports have recently completed or are nearing completion. "On the whole, those efforts are finally starting to pay off in the form of higher overall passenger satisfaction scores," Taylor said in a statement.

However, Leff cautioned that travelers should not be solely swayed by renovations, citing New York LaGuardia's Central Terminal as a beautiful facility that can still be difficult to navigate. He suggested that airports like San Francisco International Airport and National Airport in Washington, D.C., are among the best due to their proximity to their respective cities and ease of navigation.

The J.D. Power study defines mega airports as those handling at least 33 million passengers annually, large airports between 10 million and 32.9 million, and medium airports between 4.5 million and 9.9 million passengers. The study, now in its 21st year, gathers data from surveys of U.S. and Canadian residents on their airport experiences across seven key areas: ease of travel, trust, terminal facilities, staff, pre- and post-airport travel experience, and food, beverage, and retail services.