Tampa Teams Up With Phoenix and More as North America’s Standout Airports Beckon Global Travellers for Smoother Journeys

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Tampa Teams Up With Phoenix and more as North America’s standout airports beckon global travellers toward smoother journeys. Tampa and Phoenix are drawing attention as North America’s airports become an important part of modern travel. Moreover, standout airports across North America are helping global travellers experience more convenient journeys from arrival to departure. Tampa Teams Up With Phoenix while other airports add fresh reasons for travellers to look closer at their next gateway. Global travellers can explore what makes these airports different, from passenger facilities to connectivity and travel convenience. Therefore, Travel And Tour World urges readers to explore the entire story and discover how North America’s standout airports are reshaping smoother journeys.

Best Airports in North America 2026: Six Standout Gateways With Passenger, Service and Infrastructure Data

J.D. Power’s 2026 North America Airport Satisfaction Study provides a useful snapshot of how travellers experience major airports. The study was based on 24,710 completed surveys from U.S. and Canadian residents who had travelled through an eligible airport during the previous 30 days. The fieldwork ran from July 2025 through July 2026.

The airports are separated into mega, large and medium categories, reflecting annual passenger volumes. Mega airports handle at least 33 million passengers, large airports handle 10 million to 32.9 million, and medium airports handle 4.5 million to 9.9 million.

For travellers, this distinction is important. A huge international gateway faces different passenger-flow challenges from a medium regional airport.

The six airports below cover the three highest-scoring mega airports, the two highest-scoring large airports and the highest-scoring medium airport identified in the 2026 study.

Six North American airports highlighted by the 2026 J.D. Power study

J.D. Power measured passenger experience across seven core areas: ease of travel through the airport, trust, terminal facilities, airport staff, departure/to-airport experience, food/beverage/retail and arrival/from-airport experience.

Passenger traffic comparison across the six airports

The following table brings together the most recent five-year passenger totals available from airport authorities and official transportation sources. Figures are total airport passengers, where the relevant authority reports arrivals plus departures. Fiscal-year figures are identified separately.

*TPA’s 2022 figure is reported by the airport authority at approximately 21.4 million for its fiscal year. TPA’s calendar-year reporting is used for subsequent figures.

Important data note: Charleston International Airport maintains official 2021–2025 annual operations reports, but the currently indexed statistics page does not expose the underlying passenger totals as searchable text. Rather than manufacture numbers, this article uses the officially published passenger milestones that can be independently verified.

Five-year passenger comparison at a glance

These figures should not be interpreted as tourism arrivals into the surrounding city. Airport passenger counts include departing travellers, arriving travellers and, depending on the airport’s methodology, connecting passengers.

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport: Mega-airport leader with major terminal investment

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport achieved a 684 score in J.D. Power’s 2026 mega-airport category. Detroit followed at 663 and Phoenix at 642. MSP therefore became the highest-scoring mega airport in the study.

The passenger numbers show how large the gateway has become. MSP handled 25,202,120 passengers in 2021, followed by 31,241,822 in 2022 and 34,770,800 in 2023. Traffic reached 37,168,451 in 2024 before easing to 36,071,627 in 2025.

The 2025 result remained more than 10 million passengers above the 2021 level. At the same time, the airport continued expanding international connectivity.

MSP reported 35 international destinations in 2025, compared with 32 in 2024. Total international passengers reached approximately 3.61 million, accounting for about 10% of the airport’s traffic.

For global travellers, terminal improvements are especially relevant. MSP completed a $600 million Operational Improvements Program covering pre-security areas, checkpoints, ticketing functions and baggage claim.

A separate $242 million Airport Modernization Program, developed with Delta Air Lines, renovated six of Terminal 1’s seven concourses and about 75 Delta gate hold rooms.

The airport also served 166 destinations in 2025, while average daily departing seats reached 59,148. Delta accounted for 71.55% of passenger market share, followed by Sun Country at 11.04%.

For travellers, MSP’s appeal is therefore connected to more than its J.D. Power score. It combines a major domestic network, international access and recently completed terminal improvements.

The five-year passenger record also shows the scale of its recovery.

Official MSP passenger and operations reports are maintained by the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport: A major Midwest gateway with strong international relevance

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport recorded 663 points, placing it second among mega airports in the 2026 J.D. Power study.

DTW handled 23,610,765 passengers in 2021. That increased to 28,160,572 in 2022, 31,453,486 in 2023, 32,971,060 in 2024 and 33,372,682 in 2025. The airport’s official historical statistics document the post-pandemic passenger recovery.

The five-year comparison is significant because DTW moved from below 24 million passengers to above 33 million. That represents an increase of roughly 41% between 2021 and 2025.

DTW is particularly relevant to international travellers because Detroit functions as a major gateway between the U.S. Midwest, Canada, Europe and other overseas markets.

The airport’s 2025 traffic included approximately 3.69 million international passengers, according to airport traffic data, while domestic traffic accounted for the overwhelming majority. The airport also recorded more than 33 million total passengers during the year.

For connecting travellers, DTW is also important because a large proportion of passengers use the airport as part of a wider network rather than simply as the final destination.

Its passenger facilities serve a large daily flow while the airport continues to handle hundreds of thousands of aircraft movements annually.

The airport’s long-term traffic history provides useful context. DTW handled 36.77 million passengers in 2019, before the pandemic reduced traffic to 14.1 million in 2020. The 2025 total therefore represented a substantial return toward its previous scale.

For travellers flying between Europe and the American Midwest, DTW can therefore function as both a destination gateway and a connecting airport.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: A high-volume gateway with more than 50 million annual passengers

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport scored 642 points and ranked third among mega airports in the 2026 J.D. Power study.

Unlike the smaller airports in this extension, PHX handles more than 50 million passengers annually.

The official City of Phoenix Aviation Department reports 38,846,713 passengers in 2021. The figure climbed to 44,397,854 in 2022, 48,654,432 in 2023, and 52,325,266 in 2024. In 2025, PHX handled 51,618,649 passengers.

The five-year comparison shows an increase of approximately 32.9% between 2021 and 2025.

The 2024 figure was particularly notable because the airport crossed the 50-million-passenger threshold for the first time in this recent recovery period.

PHX also recorded 487,142 aircraft operations in 2025, including takeoffs and landings. The airport says an average of more than 1,300 aircraft arrive and depart each day.

Travellers encounter two principal passenger terminals, with Terminal 3 named for John S. McCain III and Terminal 4 named for Barry M. Goldwater. The airport has 114 airline gates and serves 24 commercial airlines.

For tourists visiting Arizona, PHX is the principal aviation gateway for Phoenix and a major entry point for the wider region.

The scale of the airport makes passenger planning especially important. International travellers should allow sufficient time for check-in, security, connections and ground transportation.

PHX’s annual statistics also demonstrate why the airport is classified as a mega facility under the J.D. Power methodology.

The passenger numbers also show that Phoenix has maintained exceptionally high traffic even after reaching its recent peak in 2024.

Tampa International Airport: Large-airport leader combines high passenger volumes with traveller-focused design

Tampa International Airport recorded the highest J.D. Power score among large airports in 2026, with 715 points. Portland International Airport followed with 708 points, while Dallas Love Field placed third with 698.

TPA handled 18,115,213 passengers in 2021. Its authority reported approximately 21.4 million passengers in fiscal 2022. Calendar-year traffic then reached 23,948,889 in 2023, 24,756,631 in 2024 and 24,811,253 in 2025.

The airport’s 2024 traffic was especially detailed in its official activity reports. March was the busiest month, with 2,590,358 passengers, while October recorded 1,598,408.

International traffic also became increasingly important. TPA recorded approximately 1.72 million international passengers in 2025, compared with about 1.49 million in 2024. Domestic traffic remained the dominant component.

The airport’s passenger experience is closely connected to its physical layout and ongoing investment.

Tampa is developing Airside D, a planned 16-gate terminal that is scheduled to open in 2029. The project includes concessions, lounges and family-oriented facilities.

TPA has also continued work on its main terminal and checked baggage systems.

For leisure travellers, the airport provides access to Tampa Bay and the wider central-west Florida region. It can therefore be relevant for visitors combining beaches, urban attractions and regional road trips.

TPA’s five-year passenger data shows how dramatically traffic recovered after the pandemic while remaining close to its 2024 level in 2025.

Portland International Airport: A large gateway where regional identity is part of the passenger experience

Portland International Airport scored 708 points in the 2026 J.D. Power study, placing it second in the large-airport category.

PDX recorded 11,806,921 passengers in 2021, followed by 13,639,215 in 2022, 16,486,688 in 2023, 17,518,499 in 2024 and 18,563,132 in 2025. The Port of Portland maintains detailed aviation statistics and annual reports for the airport.

The five-year comparison shows approximately 57% more passengers in 2025 than in 2021. Among the six airports discussed here, that is one of the largest proportional changes.

PDX also offers an important example of how airport architecture can become part of a destination experience.

The new main terminal began opening to travellers in August 2024. The Port of Portland said the project was designed around Pacific Northwest materials, local businesses, regional art and local craftsmanship. More than 30,000 local craftspeople were involved in the project.

The airport also provides a direct public-transportation option into Portland through the MAX Red Line.

International connectivity has been an important part of PDX’s recovery. British Airways began nonstop London service in 2022, while services to Amsterdam, Reykjavik and Frankfurt also returned around the same period.

For travellers, this makes PDX particularly useful when planning an Oregon holiday that combines Portland with the state’s coast, wine country, mountains or wider Pacific Northwest itinerary.

The Port of Portland says PDX handles almost 18 million travellers annually and averages around 400 flights per day, with higher volumes during peak periods.

Charleston International Airport: Medium-airport leader with a rapidly expanding regional role

Charleston International Airport achieved 712 points, putting it at the top of the medium-airport category in J.D. Power’s 2026 study.

Its significance is different from that of Minneapolis, Phoenix or Detroit. CHS is a regional gateway serving Charleston and South Carolina’s Lowcountry rather than functioning as a mega international hub.

The Charleston Regional Aviation Authority maintains official annual and monthly operations reports for 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Official airport information confirms that CHS handled more than six million passengers in 2023, a record at the time and the busiest airport in South Carolina.

The airport’s passenger facilities have also expanded.

In 2022, CHS completed a three-gate expansion involving Gates A6, A7 and A2A. The project increased total gate capacity by about 20% and cost approximately $11.5 million.

The airport subsequently secured $23 million in funding for future development projects in 2024. Official airport information said the investment would support an additional concourse and aircraft overnight parking, while helping the airport accommodate additional direct services.

Passenger patterns also underline CHS’s importance to tourism. During the 2024 Memorial Day travel period, nearly 110,000 passengers travelled through the airport, approximately 27% more than during the corresponding 2023 period.

The 2024 Christmas-New Year travel period brought 114,511 passengers through the TSA checkpoint, 1.5% above the comparable 2023 holiday period.

For global tourists, CHS offers a practical gateway for Charleston’s historic districts, coastal attractions and the broader Lowcountry.

The absence of searchable line-item annual totals on the current CHS statistics page is why exact 2021–2025 totals have not been guessed here. The airport confirms that the underlying annual reports exist.

J.D. Power scores and airport size comparison

The scores demonstrate an important point for travellers. The J.D. Power results compare airports within passenger-volume categories rather than treating a 50-million-passenger airport and a six-million-passenger airport as identical operating environments.

What travellers should look for beyond an airport ranking

An airport score is only one part of trip planning.

International travellers should first examine flight connectivity. A highly rated airport may still require an inconvenient connection for a particular itinerary.

The second factor is airport location. A gateway closer to the final destination can save considerable ground-transfer time.

The third factor is ground transportation. Travellers should check trains, buses, taxis, rental cars and rideshare arrangements before departure.

The fourth consideration is terminal construction. Large airports can have ongoing projects even when passenger satisfaction scores are improving.

The fifth factor is connection time. Travellers changing from international to domestic services should allow additional time for immigration, baggage collection, customs and security procedures where applicable.

The sixth is seasonality. Passenger traffic can become substantially heavier during summer, holidays and major events.

Finally, travellers should use official airport and government information for current travel requirements. Passenger statistics describe historical traffic, while flight schedules, security procedures and entry requirements can change.

Five-year passenger data reveals different airport travel stories

The passenger statistics show that there is no single pattern across North America‘s leading airports.

MSP expanded strongly after 2021 but recorded a modest reduction in total traffic in 2025. PHX followed a similar pattern after reaching more than 52.3 million passengers in 2024.

DTW continued its steady recovery, moving above 33 million passengers in 2025.

TPA’s passenger total remained remarkably stable between 2024 and 2025 at approximately 24.8 million.

PDX recorded the strongest proportional five-year increase among the airports with complete comparable data in this research, moving from 11.81 million passengers in 2021 to 18.56 million in 2025.

CHS represents a different story, with regional tourism and new air services supporting continued infrastructure expansion.

Together, the six airports illustrate the different ways travellers move through North America. Some are massive connecting hubs. Others are regional gateways. Some emphasize international connectivity, while others combine airport modernization with a strong local identity.

For global travellers, these distinctions can be more useful than a single headline ranking. The most practical airport for a journey ultimately depends on the destination, connection, schedule, terminal and ground transportation requirements of the individual trip.

Conclusion

Tampa Teams Up With Phoenix and more as North America’s standout airports continue to attract global travellers seeking smoother journeys. Tampa and Phoenix represent different gateways, yet both highlight how airports can shape the travel experience. Across North America, standout airports are investing in facilities, connectivity and passenger convenience. For global travellers, these improvements can make journeys easier from check-in to departure and arrival. However, every traveller has different needs, schedules and destinations. Therefore, comparing airport facilities, connections and transport options remains essential. Travel And Tour World encourages travellers to look beyond rankings and explore the airport features that can make their next North America journey more comfortable.