World’s best airports for air travelers in 2022

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Time spent at any airport can be stressful, but it can be made so much worse when operations are chaotic, wait times get drawn out, or products or services are in short supply. And, of course, access to certain amenities goes a long way towards making the travel journey more bearable.

The results of new research commissioned by money.co.uk have just revealed the world’s best airports for travelers in 2022, and it turns out that five out of the top 10 are located in the U.S.

The travel insurance website analyzed 50 of the globe’s busiest airports and ranked them on the basis of multiple factors, including on-time flight performance, parking and transfer costs, transfer times, and the number of onsite shops and eateries. For these purposes, 2019 data was used in order to avoid figures being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions on travel.

Below, we’ve listed the results of money.co.uk’s analysis, the scores and rankings assigned to each—along with the winners in each respective category—so you’ll know what to expect the next time your travels take you there.

World’s Best Airports Overall

Airport Score (out of 10)
1. Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore 8.32
2. Tokyo Haneda Airport, Japan 8.03
3. Mexico City International Airport, Mexico 7.4
4. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, United States 7.34
5. Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russia 6.87
6. Frankfurt Airport, Germany 6.84
7. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, United States 6.61
8. Orlando International Airport, United States 6.32
9. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, United States 6.15
10. Miami International Airport, United States 6.05

Airports With the Fewest Delayed Flights

Among the biggest hassles when traveling by air are potential flight delays, which could cause troublesome travel hiccups ranging anywhere from missed flight connections to missing your own wedding. Here are the top 10 global airports with the fewest delays (defined as flights that depart at least 15 minutes late):

Airport Total Passengers (2019) On-time Performance
1. Tokyo Haneda Airport, Japan 85.5 million 86.4 percent
2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, USA 110.5 million 82.6 percent
3. Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore 68.3 million 82.0 percent
4. George Bush International Airport, USA (tied) 45.0 million 80.4 percent
5. Madrid Barajas Airport, Spain (tied) 61.7 million 80.4 percent
6. Narita International Airport, Japan (tied) 44.3 million 80.4 percent
7. Mexico City International Airport, Mexico 50.3 million 80.3 percent
8. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, USA 46.3 million 80.2 percent
9. Los Angeles International Airport, USA 88.1 million 80.0 percent
10. Charlotte Douglas International Airport, USA (tied) 50.2 million 79.2 percent
10. Miami International Airport, USA (tied) 45.9 million 79.2 percent

And, here are the top picks in some of the individual categories:

World’s Overall Busiest Airport

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport – Pre-pandemic Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson Airport saw 110.5 million passengers cross its terminals in a single year. The major gateway airport is home to Delta, one of the world’s largest carriers, which was operating over 1,000 flights per day to more than 200 destinations prior to the pandemic.

Airport With the Cheapest Parking

Singapore Changi Airport – US$24.96 for seven days

Airport With the Most Restaurant Options

Seoul Incheon International Airport, South Korea – 264 restaurants

Best Airport for Shopping

Mexico City International Airport, Mexico – 226 shops

Airport Closest to Its Nearest City

Mexico City International Airport, Mexico – estimated taxi transfer time of seven minutes

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