Dallas Fort Worth International may rank high for factors like convenience, connectivity and plenty of barbecue options, but it isn't the best airport in the U.S.
That's according to the first-ever Wall Street Journal U.S. airport rankings, which scored the top 20 biggest U.S. airports across 15 categories and surveyed more than 4,800 WSJ readers on categories including overall experience, ease of use, security and restaurants.
Coming in at No.1 is Denver International Airport, which ranks highest in reliability, value and convenience. And although DFW didn't come in first place, it ranks high at No. 5.
The WSJ reported the rankings are supposed to reflect what travelers value most, such as security wait times, Wi-Fi connectivity, restaurant Yelp scores, average fares, ride-share prices, rental car taxes and fees, number of non-stop destinations and market dominance of the largest airline.
According to the Journal, DFW scores well for reliability, with high on-time arrival rates and low wait times at TSA checkpoints and taxi stations. Its strengths also include convenience factors, like number of destinations served and food offerings inside the airport.
But respondents to the WSJ noted areas for improvement like long wait times to drop off rental cars, long TSA PreCheck lanes on Mondays and a lack of outlets around the hub.
"DFW keeps trying to improve, and they have in small ways — better food, remodeled terminals," noted one WSJ respondent. "But the fact remains that you need to really make sure you have plenty of time to change planes at DFW, because it is hard to switch terminals in a timely manner in even the best of times. And I have had some of the longest taxi times in planes at DFW, longer than anywhere else."
