The Points Guy Names Phoenix Number One Airport In America; New York's Kennedy Named America's Worst Airport

NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Points Guy (TPG) announced this morning that Phoenix has again been named the number one airline in America in its annual Best Airports report. The 2018 report was assembled by TPG's team of travel experts and ranks 30 airports in the United States, from best to worst, using a strategic methodology based on specific criteria and data, from on-time statistics, to the cost of an Uber to get there to the number of restaurants versus the number of passengers, and much more. Extra weight was assigned to categories that bear extra importance to travelers (e.g., timeliness of departures and arrivals) and to TPG readers in particular (e.g., the number of lounges).

This year's report in particular shows that while airports are expanding into lifestyle offerings, the additions don't always make for a better airport experience. Salt Lake City fell to second place, and Portland, San Diego and Tampa followed, rounding out the top five ranking. By contrast, Newark, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy remain the bottom three ranked airports again since 2016.

Key takeaways that were derived from the report, courtesy of the TPG editors, include:

• Above All, Be an Airport: No matter how many bells and whistles one adds to an airport, the most important thing is to make sure planes take off and land on time. The top scorers had the most consistently above-average percentages of on-time departures and arrivals, lower rates of canceled flights and the shortest waits at security checkpoints.
• Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew: The biggest airports fared worse than smaller airports that could focus more resources on fewer passengers. This was highlighted by the rise of Dulles, which rose from the Bottom 10 in 2016 to Top 10 in 2018 due to the many lounges and quality-of-life amenities for relatively few passengers.
• It Takes a Long Time to Say Aloha: Hawaii suffered a notable drop from 2016, when it was No. 5. (It's No. 13 in 2018.) Though Honolulu still has excellent on-time scores for its planes, it rated among the worst airports for making connections (a new category for TPG) and accessibility (especially via public transit). Visitors stuck waiting to make their flight can at least take comfort in knowing they get to stay on the islands a little longer.

Top 15 U.S. Airports: airports ranking the highest for on-time flights, best lounges/restaurants, transportation costs and more.

1. Phoenix (remained #1 since 2016)
2. Salt Lake City (up two)
3. Portland
4. San Diego
5. Tampa
6. Charlotte (up two)
7. Philadelphia
8. Washington Dulles
9. Houston Bush
10. Washington Reagan
11. Las Vegas (dropped two)
12. Miami
13. Honolulu (dropped 8 places)
14. Minneapolis
15. Chicago Midway

Bottom 15 U.S. Airports: airports ranking the lowest for on-time flights, lounge/restaurant options, transportation costs and more.

1. Boston
2. Denver
3. Baltimore
4. Atlanta
5. Detroit
6. Seattle-Tacoma (dropped 15)
7. San Francisco
8. Dallas Ft. Worth
9. Orlando
10. Chicago O'Hare (up two)
11. Ft. Lauderdale
12. Los Angeles
13. Newark
14. New York LaGuardia
15. New York Kennedy

Report Methodology:
Using government, airport and third-party data, TPG rated the 30 busiest airports on a variety of criteria important to regular flyers. TPG assigned extra weight to certain categories that they felt bear extra importance to travelers (e.g., timeliness of departures and arrivals) and TPG readers in particular (e.g., the number of lounges).

Please see the full 2018 report here: https://thepointsguy.com/guide/best-and-worst-airports-usa/

About The Points Guy:
The Points Guy (TPG) is a trusted travel and lifestyle media platform that focuses on maximizing travel experiences while minimizing spending. Through an informative, clever point of view, TPG has become the leading online resource for all things points, miles and resourceful travel experiences. The site's editorial content consists of firsthand flight, hotel and airplane reviews, curated travel guides, immersive video components, as well as global event activations. Since its launch in 2010, Founder and CEO Brian Kelly has expanded the team to include a distinguished editorial staff and extensive network of freelancer contacts from around the globe. Today, TPG reaches 7 million unique monthly visitors and more than 2.3 million followers across social media platforms.

Media Inquiries:
Sunshine Sachs: 212.691.2800
[email protected]

SOURCE The Points Guy

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