The best and worst airports in the United States

frequent fliers among us can attest to the sorry state of so many airports in the U.S. today.

Among the complaints one could easily rattle off: Delays up and down the departures and arrivals boards; security screenings that seem to last forever; limited — and expensive — food options; crowded, less-than-sanitary amenities. Still, though, there are some gems around the country…or, at least, semiprecious stones.

Which American airports rise above? Over at The Points Guy, they examined three sets of data on the 30 busiest U.S. airports — timeliness, accessibility and amenities — to find the best and worst ones. The results are surprising — even for “unflappable, well-seasoned travelers who have come to treat these terminals like second homes,” they say.

Here are the 5 best — and 5 worst — airports (plus the full list of 30 airports ranked best to worst).

America’s top 5 airports

5. Honolulu International (Hawaii; HNL)

Honolulu gets strong marks for timeliness but dropped down in the rankings because of sluggish public transit to the airport.

4. Salt Lake City International (Utah; SLC)

Salt Lake, a Delta hub, has the best record when it comes to flight cancellations and tied with Honolulu’s airport for the fewest delays. But it isn’t easy to get there on public transportation.

3. San Diego International (California; SAN)

San Diego’s ranking was held down by a mediocre flight cancellation rate and timeliness score.

2. Portland International (Oregon; PDX)

Portland’s airport, one of Alaska Airlines’s hubs, nearly grabbed the No. 1 spot, but lost out due to transit time to and from the airport.

1. Phoenix Sky Harbor International (Arizona; PHX)

Phoenix came in at No. 1 on the list thanks to its “excellent flight delay and flight cancellation scores, a convenient light rail, a high number of restaurants and bars for its level of passenger traffic and free Wi-Fi.” Airlines with Phoenix as a hub: Southwest and US Airways.

America’s 5 worst airports

5. Detroit Metro (Michigan; DTW)

The Points Guy editors call the public transportation to Detroit’s airport “simply shameful” — it takes 2 transfers and 100 minutes to go from the city center to DTW. Meanwhile, it’s a 30-minute drive. They don’t call it Motor City for nothing.

4. Chicago O’Hare International (Illinois; ORD)

Chicago O’Hare, one of American Airlines’s key hubs, suffers from delays, cancellations and long security lines.

3. Newark Liberty International (New Jersey; EWR)

Newark had low scores all around, but the one bright spot was its food options. So there’s that.

2. John F. Kennedy International (New York; JFK)

Yes, there’s a theme at the bottom of this list: The worst three airports all serve the New York metro region. JFK boasts the longest drive times to the airport (over an hour) and the longest waits to get through security (nearly 17 minutes).

1. LaGuardia (New York; LGA)

LaGuardia is the worst airport in the country…is a statement that will surprise no one. The Points Guy editors found it has the highest rate of delays and cancellations and “extortionate” parking rates.

The Top 30 busiest U.S. airports, ranked from best to worst

1. Phoenix Sky Harbor International (Arizona; PHX)
2. Portland International (Oregon; PDX)
3. San Diego International (California; SAN)
4. Salt Lake City International (Utah; SLC)
5. Honolulu International (Hawaii; HNL)
6. Seattle-Tacoma International (Washington; SEA)
7. Philadelphia International (Pennsylvania; PHL)
8. Charlotte Douglas International (North Carolina; CLT)
9. Las Vegas McCarran International (Nevada; LAS)
10. Minneapolis-St. Paul International (Minnesota; MSP)
11. Tampa International (Florida; TPA)
12. San Francisco International (California; SFO)
13. Washington Reagan National (Virginia; DCA)
14. Baltimore-Washington International (Maryland; BWI)
15. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (Florida; FLL)
16. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (Georgia; ATL)
17. Chicago Midway International (Illinois; MDW)
18. Boston Logan International (Massachusetts; BOS)
19. Dallas/Fort Worth International (Texas; DFW)
20. Miami International (Florida; MIA)
21. Houston George Bush Intercontinental (Texas; IAH)
22. Los Angeles International (California; LAX)
23. Denver International (Colorado; DEN)
24. Washington Dulles International (Virginia; IAD)
25. Orlando International (Florida; MCO)
26. Detroit Metro (Michigan; DTW)
27. Chicago O’Hare International (Illinois; ORD)
28. Newark Liberty International (New Jersey; EWR)
29. John F. Kennedy International (New York; JFK)
30. La Guardia (New York; LGA)