Southeast Michigan's Detroit Metropolitan Airport is among the nation's best for providing a positive flyer experiences, according to a ranking by a national analytics company.
The 21st North America Airport Satisfaction Study by Troy, Michigan-based JD Power, released Sept. 16, ranked Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) in Wayne County's Romulus No. 2 among "mega-sized" airports with a score of 663. The ranking broke down passenger satisfaction across airports categorized by size, from mega to large and medium.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport surpassed DTW to take the top spot, with a score of 684 in the study, while Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport ranked third with 642 points.
Tampa International Airport topped the list
of large airports with 715 points, and Charleston International Airport was the best medium-sized airport with 712 points, according to the JD Power study.
“For the better part of the last decade, nearly every airport, from the largest international hubs to midsized airfields, has undertaken a significant capital improvement project aimed at streamlining passenger flow, adding attractive food and beverage options and improving overall passenger experience,” said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at JD Power. “On the whole, those efforts are finally starting to pay off in the form of higher overall passenger satisfaction scores. However, when it comes to the individual experiences of passengers, every detail counts and the specific design and structural decisions airports make can have a significant influence on how passengers spend their time — and their money — in the terminal.”
Mega airports were defined as those with 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports with 10 million to 32.9 million passengers per year; and medium airports with 4.5 million to 9.9 million passengers per year.
Detroit Metro handled more than 30 million passengers in 2025 (September statistics were not available) and 32 million in 2024.
Here's what to know about the airport ranking.
How did Detroit Metro Airport rank for passenger satisfaction?
Detroit Metropolitan Airport took the No. 2 spot for passenger satisfaction among mega-sized airports with a score of 663 in JD Power's North America Airport Satisfaction Study.
The study cited construction improvement projects, clear signage and wayfinding systems, bold airport frontage and terminal design representing the local area, a mix of authentic local food and beverage brands and nationally-known familiar chains and a more positive experience correlated to greater airport spending when ranking the airports.
"All of the highest-ranked airports in the study have recently completed, or are close to completing, multi-year, billion dollar+ capital improvement projects," JD Power reported.
"Two specific airport design attributes drive the highest levels of passenger satisfaction. On the practical side, effective signage and clear wayfinding systems that guide passengers to their gate are essential. On the more conceptual side, airport frontage and terminal design choices that reflect a genuine sense of the airport’s home city or location also play a major role in influencing passenger experience," the study said.
What were the other top-ranked airports?
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport got the highest ranking among mega airports for passenger satisfaction for the third year in a row with a score of 684, according to the ranking. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport ranked third among mega airports with a score of 642.
For large airports, Tampa International Airport ranked highest, with a score of 715, followed by Portland International Airport in second-place with a score of 705 and in third place, Dallas Love Field with a score of 698.
Among medium airports, Charleston International Airport ranked highest with a score of 712, Ontario International Airport came in second place with a score of 705 and in third place was Indianapolis International Airport with a score of 695, per the report.
How was the ranking compiled?
JD Power created the ranking based on the results of a survey of 24,710 U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport for both departures and arrivals, including connecting airports, over the past 30 days, per the ranking. The study was fielded between July 2025 and July 2026, the ranking said.
The study overall passenger satisfaction by examining travelers' experiences across seven core dimensions (in order of importance): ease of travel through airport; level of trust with airport; terminal facilities; airport staff; departure/to airport experience; food, beverage and retail; and arrival/from airport experience.
"Passengers who rate their airport experience as “perfect” spend an average of $47.60 in the terminal. That is $20.22 more than passengers who rate their airport experience as “just OK.” Perfect experiences are rare, however, occurring in just 12% of journeys through the airport," the study added.
What is JD Power?
JD Power is a data analytics company for the automotive industry based in Troy, Michigan, according to its website.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: JD Power gives Detroit Metro high marks for satisfaction. Where it ranks
