AIRLINES

More love for Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport: Why it's on the latest top 10 list

Portrait of Michael Salerno Michael Salerno
Arizona Republic

The Phoenix airport was just named one of the best in the U.S. in a new survey,

AirHelp, a claims management company focused on airline passenger rights, released its annual global airport ranking on Tuesday, July 9. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport ranked as the No. 7 airport in the U.S. and the No. 21 airport in the world.

The ranking was based on a survey of 239 airports in 69 countries. Salt Lake City International Airport led U.S. airports, while Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, ranked No. 1 in the world.

This is not the first time AirHelp singled out Phoenix as one of the nation's best airports. In another recent ranking, it placed Sky Harbor at No. 10 in the U.S. for the least flight disruptions.

How were the best airports selected?

AirHelp based its methodology on airport operations from May 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024, ranking the top airports based on several factors:

On-time performance: Any flight that arrived within 15 minutes of its published arrival time is considered on time. On-time flights made up 60% of an airport's score.

Customer opinion: AirHelp surveyed air travelers about airport staff, wait times, accessibility and cleanliness, asking passengers to rank each factor on a scale of "very good" to "very bad." Customer opinion represented 20% of an airport's score.

Food and shops: AirHelp also asked passengers for feedback on airports' restaurants and shops, comprising the last 20% of the rating.

Why the Phoenix airport is one of the best in the U.S.

Sky Harbor Airport's rating in the survey was 8.1 out of a possible 10, an improvement from its rating in AirHelp's 2023 survey when it received a 7.83 rating.

Airlines' on-time performance and passengers' customer service feedback improved from 2023, while the food and shops rating dipped slightly, despite the addition of new restaurants including a burger restaurant from celebrity chef Bobby Flay in Terminal 4 and a cafe in the Rental Car Center.

AirHelp CEO Tomasz Pawliszyn told The Arizona Republic that the high rating for Sky Harbor represents how airport staff "has enhanced the traveler experience since 2023 to 2024 in all areas."

Top 10 U.S. airports in 2024

  1. Salt Lake City International Airport.
  2. Washington Dulles International Airport.
  3. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
  4. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
  5. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.
  6. Nashville International Airport.
  7. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
  8. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, North Carolina.
  9. Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
  10. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Texas.

Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.

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