Phoenix Sky Harbor was named No. 2 airport in the U.S. Here's why

Sky Harbor bills itself as "America's Friendliest Aiport." At least one study suggests that's more than just hot air.

November 25, 2024

Image: united planes on a tarmac in phoenix

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport bills itself as one of the best airports in the country, and one study backs that up. O'Hara Shipe

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Holiday travel can be a pain in the ass. But according to one study, traveling out of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is less painful than flying through just about any other airport in the United States.

Sky Harbor touts itself as “America’s Friendliest Airport,” and a survey by online casino Nieuwe Casino suggests Phoenix’s largest airport mostly backs that up. According to the site, Sky Harbor offers the second-best flyer experience in the country. The only airport that scored higher than Phoenix is Tampa International Airport.

Nieuwe Casino analyzed 31 of the busiest airports in the U.S., relying on Google reviews, FlightRadar24 review scores and the number of places to eat, shop and “pass the time” listed on TripAdvisor. The site also studied the average monthly search volume for each airport relating to “lost luggage” queries per 100,000 passengers.

Tampa International Airport scored 71 out of 100 possible points on the “passenger enjoyability index,” while Sky Harbor was close behind at 63.9. Phoenix’s airport scored highly on the index across all factors, but it led the pack when it comes to not losing luggage, according to Google searches.

Sky Harbor generated only 4.46 monthly lost luggage searches per 100,000 passengers, 94% lower than the average across all airports analyzed. That was good for a lost luggage score of 97.4 out of 100.

Last year was the busiest ever for Sky Harbor, which served more than 48 million passengers. After refurbishing Terminal 3 several years ago, the airport announced in May plans to construct a new terminal that will go where Terminals 1 and 2 used to sit. Construction is not expected to begin until after 2030.

Sky Harbor may be able to keep passengers happy, but employees have plenty of gripes. They’ve pushed frequently for expanded heat protections for workers.

Here are the top 10 airports with the best flyer experience, along with their passenger enjoyability index score.

Tampa International Airport: 71
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport: 63.9
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport: 62.4
San Francisco International Airport: 60.7
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: 57.6
Orlando International Airport: 57.3
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport: 57
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport: 56.1
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport: 55.1
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport: 53.6

Morgan Fischer joined Phoenix New Times as a staff writer in July 2024, covering all things Phoenix and Arizona news. Before joining New Times, Morgan has worked as a national politics intern at The Arizona Republic and as a reporter for News21, among other positions. She holds degrees in journalism and mass communication and political science from Arizona State University, where she also attended Barrett, The Honors College.

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