We're No. 1: Why Phoenix Sky Harbor is the best U.S. airport, per the Wall Street Journal
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has topped the Wall Street Journal's annual ranking of the best airports in the U.S. for 2023.
The 2023 ranking scored large and midsize airports across the country on 30 measures focused on reliability, value and convenience. It also factored in feedback from customers on what they like and dislike about airport features like parking and bathrooms.
"Residents of this desert city have plenty of gripes. One thing you’ll hear few complaints about: the airport," Dawn Gilbertson, a former consumer travel reporter for USA Today and The Arizona Republic, wrote in the WSJ's report. "Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a breeze to get to. It offers a solid lineup of airlines and flights. And travelers rarely fret about flight delays and cancellations given the never-have-to-look-at-the-forecast weather."
Sky Harbor last came in at No. 1 in the Wall Street Journal ranking in 2019.
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Where Phoenix Sky Harbor scored high in the WSJ 2023 airport rankings
The Phoenix airport scored high on several reliability measures, including the average taxi time out of the airport (No. 1 at 14 minutes, 56 seconds) and into the airport (No. 3 at 7 minutes, 6 seconds). Taxi times are when flyers wait on the tarmac for the plane to take off and to exit the plane upon landing.
Even with the high marks, Sky Harbor is working on improving those wait times. A new taxiway is being built with help from $194 million in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Sky Harbor also ranked among the airports with the fewest average departure and arrival delays and the fewest flight cancellations, which the Wall Street Journal attributed in part to Phoenix's mild year-round weather. Its average domestic round-trip airfare of $387 was among the least expensive in the nation.
It came in as the No. 1 airport for most convenient Uber trips to the city center. The close distance between the airport and downtown Phoenix — about 5.5 miles — was also a factor in WSJ naming the Phoenix Convention Center one of the nation's top 10 convention centers in September.
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Where Phoenix Sky Harbor scored low in the WSJ 2023 airport rankings
Sky Harbor's poorest scores were in the car rental rating, something the Wall Street Journal attributed to the high cost of rental cars they priced for a November weekend.
Despite that, travelers whom WSJ surveyed praised the Rental Car Center and its accessibility to the airport terminals via the PHX Sky Train. A project extending the Sky Train to connect the terminals to the Rental Car Center opened in time for Christmas 2022.
Like in J.D. Power's latest airport survey, Sky Harbor scored a low rating for its restaurants and bars. The airport is continuing to bolster its dining availability.
Six new restaurants opened in Terminal 4's new Southwest concourse this year, including the first airport location of celebrity chef Bobby Flay's restaurant Bobby's Burgers. Two more restaurants, including one from Food Network star Guy Fieri, are expected in 2024. And fans of the fast-casual Italian restaurant Fazoli's rejoiced when it opened a kiosk at Terminal 4 in February.
Sky Harbor ranked 14th among airports for its number of nonstop destinations, with 127. Travelers whom WSJ surveyed think the airport could use more long-haul international routes; it currently has just three, two to London via American Airlines and British Airways, and one to Frankfurt, Germany, via Condor Airlines.
While Sky Harbor officials continue trying to attract more long-haul international flights, airlines are adding routes to Canada and Mexico from Phoenix to meet the high demand for international travel.
Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Best U.S. airport in 2023: Why WSJ chose Phoenix Sky Harbor
