AirHelp, according to its website, is a global market leader in passenger rights and flight compensation, so we feel that its ranking for best airports around the world has some validity!
That being said, most Washingtonians would probably agree that Washington Dulles International Airport is not one of the best in the country… However, most Washingtonians would be wrong!
How Dulles International Airport got ranked the #2 airport in the US
Well, the fantastic news is that despite what Washingtonians might have expected, the principal airport to our capital city has been given a podium position and claimed a silver medal after being recognized as the second-best airport in the country.
The methodology behind the ranking was quite thorough but used a few factors you’d expect:
- Customer Opinion – 20% of the final score.
- Travelers were asked to rate four factors – airport staff, wait times, accessibility, and cleanliness.
- On-time Performance – 60% of the final score.
- Measured by how frequently any flight arrived within 15 minutes of its published arrival time as an on-time flight.
- Food and Shops – 20% of the final score.
- Travelers were asked to review the quality of the shops and dining options at the airport on a scale from ‘very good’ to ‘very bad’.
Naturally, competition for the top spots was intensely competitive, in fact, there was less than a 1% difference in the scores between the first-place airport in the United States and the third-place airport.
What was the best airport in the United States?
Coming in first place for the best airport in the U.S. was Salt Lake City International, with a score of 8.28 / 10.
In second, was Washington Dulles International, which had a score of 8.22 / 10.
In third place, the third-best airport in the nation was Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, which had a score of 8.22 / 10 – barely falling behind Dulles International.