The votes are in, and according to the readers of Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Denver International Airport is the highest-ranked airport in the US. After having considered the 20 largest U.S. air depots across 15 different categories, Denver International Airport was the strongest contender.
The rankings were thought with travelers in mind—taking a wide array of different travelling aspects like security-line waits, Wi-Fi speed, and average fares into consideration. The rankings also depended upon the results of an extensive survey done by WSJ to judge the overall experience of travelers.
Although airports Orlando and Phoenix closely ranked in the second and third positions and delivered in convenience and value respectively, Denver was the only airport reach the top four in each of the four quality categories. The categories considered were the reliability, the value, the convenience, and the average score of each airport. Such factors as its convenient rail system connected to the city center and the strong competition amongst the three major airlines present ultimately decided the race for traveler satisfaction.
When compared to much larger hubs, such as the New York-area airports, Denver outshined the rest amongst the dullness of their delays, cancellations, and inferior food. Denver also displayed competitive average fares for domestic flights, ranking third at $299 dollars; not far off from the lowest average fare of $242 from Las Vegas, beating out Miami and New York LaGuardia. The presence of multiple major airplanes seemed to yield positive results in the WSJ rankings due to the common delays and higher fares that usually results. Examining the advantages of such diverse group of airlines as United, Southwest, and Frontier, CEO at DIA, Kim Day remarked that they are each able cater to a different customer and somehow directly compete on some routes, and since no singular airline controls Denver’s traffic, management can make crucial decisions regarding the airport.
These determining factors gave way to the highest overall score in the rankings, reflecting the sum of any traveler’s experience. Other airports might have stood out in one particular area, but when looking at the total experience, Denver International Airport is the ticket.
