It ’s no mystic thatAmerican airports suck . Most of them were designed and built decades ago , and have n’t been updated to handle the demands of today ’s in high spirits rider volumes , or the security slack we ’ve been stuck in ever since 9/11 . We lately nominate the10 worst - designed airport in America , but the fact is , if you ’re flying around the State Department , you’re able to pretty much assume you ’ll be dealing with awful airport . But they ’re not ALL bad . In fact , a handful of our airports can be downright delightful to land in . Here are the 10 American airports that are astonishingly , refreshingly great , offering opportunities for fitness , rest , relaxation , cultural enrichment , even outdoor activities while spend your cherished hours in the one seat that many people hate more than the dentist ’s business office . Maybe you should consider rerouting your next flight .
10. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Opened:1980Annual passengers:101 million*Pro tip : The airport host alive - music seriesduring select months throughout the year ( including the vacation ) , because this is fundamentally a ethnical center with escape .
Atlanta and Chicago O’Hare might be in a perpetual tie for the championship of " busiest aerodrome in America / North America / The World [ depending on how you specify it ] , " but where a trip to O’Hare palpate like punishment for the sins of a former life , Atlanta ’s Hartsfield - Jackson feels like a twenty-four hour period spent in an aerodrome - themed amusement commons full of top - mountain pass yielding and an extensive collection of public artwork . Yes yes yes , Atlanta also tend to top many people ’s lean of " most loathed " airports because of how bounteous and busy it is , but reality cheque : it is large and it is interfering . While we could side - by - side this with O’Hare we ’ll just make it simple : everything O’Hare got incorrect , Hartsfield - Jackson dumbfound correct . The layout actually , oh , i dunno , makes sense , the way - receive signage is arguably the best in the US , and the terminals straddle from hopeful and light to unlimited impeccable . The airport boasts a public art collection of more than 250 piece , including various carving , installations , and a grand chandelier overcompensate in thousands of Swarovski watch crystal , as well as rotating display from local artists and private collectors , you know , like a museum . The eating house alternative can legitimately be called " dining " pick , too : One Flew South is considered among thebest airport restaurant in the land , with " Southernational " cuisine and a in truth excellent guile cocktail list . This is an airport you actually desire to be stuck in .
9. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Opened:1920 ( found ) , 1962 ( first terminal opened)Annual passengers:37 millionPro tip : you could charter DVDs in the Lindbergh Terminal if you ’ve got some time to kill . There are also shower , and helpful faculty will often offer camp bed and pillow if you get REAL stranded .
If you ask any frequent United States traveler what his or her favorite airport is , four out of five of them will probably name MSP among the top . The 5th in all probability just has n’t been there . Maybe it has to do with theMidwestern niceness(which seems not to smite either of Chicago ’s major airports ) , or the general overall cleanliness and convenience of the property , or the fact that it sure enough trade on the Twin Cities ' condition as home to the Mall of America by serve as America ’s Airport Mall , or the fact that this is a Delta hub and , to the airline ’s credit , Delta does n’t f*ck around . Despite its brutal Midwestern weather disablement , it does n’t suffer the same delay plague as Chicago ’s airports . And this being one of the finest dining metropolis in the Midwest dontchaknow , the solid food is killer : agree out Shoyu for noodles made saucy daily and local export Andrew Zimmern ’s Minnibar for globally inspired sandwich , craft beer , and cocktail , and attempt a Minnesota twist on casual French fare at Mimosa .
8. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
Date opened:1973Annual passengers:64 millionPro crown : DFW has not one , buttwofree yoga studios with mat , utilisation balls , and stretch bands , with its own sign - bring forth 20 - minute yoga instruction video on iteration in the new of the two located at Gate E31 .
Some the great unwashed really hate this airport and I really do n’t understand why . The subject , rotary design is airy and refreshing with lots of instinctive illumination and none of the closed - in , humble - ceiling claustrophobia many drome get , and if there is a more aesthetically pleasing drome food homage in America , I have sex not of it . The intra - airport transportation is also among the good in the States , and considering this is the fourthly - busiest drome in North America and 9th - busiest in the public , that ’s no belittled compliment . DFW purpose for calm and comfort at every bend – you could rent a Minute Suite to take a nap on a long layover or delay ( sidebar : affair like this should exist everywhere ) , sofa in leather armchair while using the innocent Wi - Fi , or channelise up to the Founder ’s Plaza Observation Area where you could heed to air - traffic controller announce when a flight of stairs is fare in , expend the telescope to daydream , enjoy ample green spaces and duck soup expanse , and take selfies with the carving of children play " airplane . " The dining options are also surpassing : get your Texas BBQ fix at Cousin ’s , upscale Mediterranean and Pacific Rim cuisine as well as craft cocktails and microbrews at the Grand Hyatt DFW ’s Grand Met and Met Lounge , and chintzy ( ! ) Tex - Mex / Southwestern fare at Blue Mesa Taco & Tequila Bar .
7. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Date opened:1944 ( establish ) , 1959 ( first concourse built ) , 2004 ( Modern Concourse A opened)Annual passengers:42 millionPro tip : Download the STQRY app for a ego - guided walk tour of SeaTac ’s impressive public art collection , including 16 prominent - scale contemporary installations .
The " Seattle Sound " is alive and well in the SeaTac Airport , yet another Delta hub . Anyone who was a grunge - sleep together teen or tween during the wizard musical era of the early ' 90s should recognize the name " Sub Pop , " i.e. , the recording label that launched Nirvana . Well , SEA has an actual Sub Pop record store . Plus , there is live medicine seven days a week in various locations throughout the airport as part of the Port of Seattle ’s " Experience the City of Music " program . The euphony playing over the utterer ? Exclusively artists – more than 240 of them – from the Pacific Northwest . The monitors in end and baggage call area ? screen cartridge clip about Seattle ’s medicine fit and history ( note to the family line in mission : play medicine TV too ! ) . The art exhibits ? Curated by Seattle ’s EMP ( Experience Music Project ) Museum , including " Push Me , draw Me : Pearl Jam and the Art of the Screen - Printed Poster . " Seattle wants to make certain you never forget this is the place of Eddie Vedder and Kurt Cobain . Also SEA is an objectively beautiful and clean airport , and the food and drinking is also pure Seattle : a great pick of local and regional craft beers can be ascertain at many eatery , and you should also check out airport outpost of Seattle front-runner like Ivar ’s Fish Bar ( get the fume salmon chowder ) and Beecher ’s Handmade Cheese ( get the mac & cheese ) .
6. Portland International Airport
Date opened:1940 ( established ) , 1959 ( terminal opened)Annual passengers:17 millionPro tip : There is a bike assembly and repair station located on the lower terminal roadway , and really , why would n’t there be ?
The dreaming of the ' 90s seems to be more alive at SeaTac than in PDX … sorry , Portlandiafans . The good news is that PDX does still manage to be really and truly and soundly and genuinely Portlandish . For example , the " iconic " carpet ( ! ? ) that was install in 1987 was replace with a new pattern in 2014 , prompting local to create products celebrating it – the carpet form , that is – as a local icon . ( Portland , shrug . ) In keeping with Portland ’s reputation as a " foodie " ( ugh ) town , the dining choice in PDX are second to almost none , at least in term of local fare . There are two Laurelwood Public House locations operated by Laurelwood Brewing – perhaps you ’ve also heardPortland is a beer town ? – and a Rogue Ales Public House . Local favorites also include Mo ’s Restaurant , Henry ’s Tavern , Burgerville , Country Cat , and Rose ’s Restaurant and Bakery . House Spirits Distillery , the world ’s first drome tasting way , will open later this year . Oh , and make certain you ’ve arrive some spare room in your carry - on : Oregon is one of the few province in the country that does n’t charge sales event tax , so stock up on pricey mathematical product from PDX ’s many Oregon - based shop like Made In Oregon , Nike , Columbia Sportswear , Powell ’s Books , and the Oregon Pendleton Shop .
5. San Francisco International Airport
engagement opened:1927 ( established ) , 2000 ( new Terminal 2 opened)Annual passengers:50 millionPro top : SFO introduced the " Wag Brigade " in 2013 , a program that brings in trained frank with vests that record " Pet Me ! " to make passenger traveling more enjoyable . It ’s a veritable airport Puppy Bowl , and all the interactive play you call for .
SFO excels at beguilement , which probably name sense since Silicon Valley has essentially made distraction a billion - dollar industry . But it ’s not all Google Glass ( RIP ) and GPS - enabled augment - reality games ( how manyPokémon Goplayers have miss their flights wandering too far aside from their gates ? ? ) . SFO ’s brand of misdirection is actually quite " ethnic , " for lack of a better word . There is a 24 - time of day branch of the Steinhart Aquarium ( one of the most biologically diverse and interactive aquariums in the world);the SFO Museum , an airdrome - exclusive cultural creation ( the first institution of its kind located in an international aerodrome ) with rotating exhibitions and a permanent solicitation focusing on commercial aviation and travel ; and a SFMOMA Museum Store outstation for all of the slap-up museum gift - depot shopping with none of the hushed museum silence . Much like DFW , SFO has two 24 - 60 minutes yoga studio , and was the first American airport to offer such amenities . This being San Fran , the eatery selection is fundamentally the airport translation of the Ferry Building Marketplace . There is a ton of wise seafood to be had ; hit Iron Chef Cat Cora ’s roast for the raw bar , then head to SF Uncork’d to put the hurt on its selection of California guile beers on bill of exchange and wide variety of California vino flights .
4. Detroit Metropolitan Airport
particular date opened:1929 ( establish ) , 2002 ( new McNamara Terminal opened ) , 2008 ( fresh North Terminal opened)Annual passengers : 33 millionPro tip : DTW has a Westin hotel on place that guests can get at without even leaving McNamara Terminal .
DTW is basically a brand - new airport , with two brand - new terminal open in the last 15 years . And while the new North Terminal is courteous enough – it ’s prissy ! – it ’s the also - new McNamara Terminal ( aka the Delta terminal ) that really shine . traveller can spend hr staring peacefully at the recreate piss outflow – design by the same folks who designed the Bellagio natural spring in Las Vegas – while sip espresso at the Illy Coffee Bar next to it . And while the fountain might be the centrepiece above ground , DTW has also made the manner of walking between concourses exceptionally pleasant with a 700ft - long belowground lightsome burrow , featuring ice panel with sand - blasted graphics and nearly 9,000 ft of light-emitting diode lights synchronized to an original score . There is also a health spa and lounge for traveller to decompress , dissolving the tenseness of any delays or long stop . One thing DTW could exercise on is the nutrient , but possibly that ’s because I ’m a native Detroiter and do n’t deal National Coney Island or Andiamo or not one , but TWO hockey - theme bar - and - grillroom noteworthy " cuisine . " Sora Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar is pretty good though , as it should be : DTW serve as one of Delta ’s chief gateways to Asia . And local pizza favorite Bigalora just opened a new smirch in DTW , serving Sir Henry Joseph Wood - fire pizzas with the most perfectly frail incrustation you ’ll ever receive .
3. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
appointment opened:1928 ( established ) , 1990 ( Terminal 4 opened)Annual passengers:44 millionPro tip : The Phoenix Rental Car Center is the nice you ’ll ever see , showcasing 82 patch of art from the drome ’s public art assembling , admit an architectural spyglass initiation that interacts with natural lifespan to form an ever - exchange rainbow pattern throughout the daytime .
physical fitness and beauty are the focal percentage point of PHX : the airport have a staggering collection of 900 artworks in all medias – including site - specific installation , contemporary ceramics , mural , and limited - variant print – acquired through commission , leverage , or contribution . In fact , the City of Phoenix dedicate 1 % of all capital improvement funds to further enhance public spaces ( like the airport , for object lesson ) with public art . PHX also has a mile - long Sky Harbor Fitness Trail that complements the metropolis ’s FitPHX go-ahead to make Phoenix residents more active . Along the " lead " you ’ll see the Downtown Phoenix skyline , Camelback Mountain , and the sandstone Butte at Papago Park . PHX also gets high scores for its concessions : the Cartel Coffee Lab is one of the few unfeignedly right post - third - moving ridge coffee shops in any aerodrome in the commonwealth for the hardcore coffee nerds who favor individual - extraction , star sign - guy bean brewed via Chemex over anything Starbucks . Alas , this is lose on most flyers , but those of us who appreciate it REALLY appreciate it . Le Grande Orange is a corking stoppage for healthy – as in actually nutritional – organic salad and sandwiches that are vegetable / vegan - favorable , plus gourmet slight - impudence pizza pie . The pastry and ice creams are also worth the splurge . Cowboy Ciao is a local favorite , as much for the food as for the drinks .
2. Boston Logan International Airport
Date opened:1923 ( instal ) , 2005 ( new Terminal A opened)Annual passengers:34 millionPro bakshish : stick around at the on - holding Hilton Boston Logan Airport , take the free hotel shuttle to the nearby water supply taxi , and search the city by foot and tidy sum ( Mass ! ) theodolite , skip over the head ache of Boston dealings and Boston parking fees entirely .
Comparatively speaking ( at least to the above airports ) , Boston ’s Logan International feels like a teeny - tiny , postage mold - sized drome , which is unpaired consider it is located in what is arguably one of the top economic and rational hubs of North America ( aka " the hub of the existence , " as locals meanly touch to it ) where the dealings is a nightmare and so is the median individual - family home price at just under a cool one-half Swedish mile . Anyhoo , it ’s a nice airport , all the more noteworthy for how low - stress it is compare to how in high spirits - stress everything else about Boston is . Massport has your Boston - sanctified dining option covered , from a bunch of dissimilar incarnations of Legal Sea Foods , to a Todd English junction , to the Harpoon Tap Room and Cisco Brew Pub , to a kind of splay pop - up of sort , Dine Boston , which brings in guest chefs from local eatery to make Modern seasonal menus .
1. Baltimore-Washington International Airport
day of the month opened:1950Annual passengers:24 millionPro tip : The historical Benson - Hammond House is located on aerodrome ground ( approachable by the bike trail ) and is on the National Registry of Historic Places . Don’t do Dulles when you could do BWI ! in earnest though . It ’s close enough ( 35 min to DC via Amtrak , or 25 minutes to Baltimore ) and trajectory out of BWI are often cheaper . It consistently ranks extremely ( in the positive good sense ) for check - in and surety lines . And if you do have a long stretch of time to kill and want to go stretch your leg , BWI has 10 self - serve , reservable Zagster motorcycle outside the International Terminal , near the BWI Marshall Light Rail stop . Users pay $ 5 for 12 hours of use , and the BWI Hiker - Biker Trail offers 12.5 mile of paved Earth’s surface and wooden boardwalk circling the airport through green spaces and forested areas . And that ’s probably one intellect whyHealthnamed BWI the second - healthiest airport in the United States in 2008 . For less-“active " body process , the Sky Azure cocktail sofa offers a okay pick of cunning beers , cocktails , and wine , and Gachi House of Sushi gets eminent Saint Mark , for an " airport sushi bar " or otherwise .
- Annual passenger data according to 2015Airports Council Internationalstatistics
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Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Aiport|Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
Courtesy of DFW International Airport
Victoria Ditkovsky / Shutterstock.com
Courtesy of SFO Museum
Carolina K. Smith MD/Shutterstock
BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
