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Healthiest Airports

Posted by Jeannette Kimmel on January 9, 2009
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Health magazine recently rated our nation’s healthiest airports. The ratings are based on obvious criteria like safety measures, food options, cleanliness, delays, and overall traveler satisfaction. Having been to quite a few U.S. airports, I was a bit shocked by some of the top choices. They are:
phoenix.jpg
1.  Phoenix Sky Harbor International
2.  Baltimore-Washington International Airport
3.  Chicago’s O’Hare International
4.  Detroit Metropolitan
5.  Denver International
6.  Washington National
7.  Dallas/Fort Worth International
8.  Boston’s Logan International
9.  Portland International
10. Philadelphia International

I don’t know about you, but the last time I was in O’Hare, my stress levels were through the roof, after being stuck there for eight hours because my connecting flight decided not to show up. Sure, bigger international airports (like BWI, O’Hare, and DFW) tend to have healthier restaurant options and more lounges to relax in, but, in my experience, they also tend to have more flight delays and longer lines, often making them more stressful, and a hassle.

What airports do you think are worthy of being the healthiest?

Photo: courtesy Phoenix Sky Harbor International

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Comments

  1. Monica
    January 9, 2009, 3:44 pm

    Okay, not a US airport– but I’d nominate Lyon’s Aeroport Saint Exupery . In addition to copious lounges and good & healthy food options, they have free Wii games, to keep traveller relaxed & prancing during their waits. Hands down my favorite airport worldwide.

  2. joy
    January 9, 2009, 5:23 pm

    Not a US airport, either, but I may have been brainwashed by the commercials, but the very little time I spent at BA’s Terminal 5 at Heathrow? So very nice.
    Healthiest, though? What an odd category. Tampa and Pittsburgh beat out all of the ones in the top 10 – for me, anyway.

  3. Ann
    January 9, 2009, 6:32 pm

    It’s always distressing when your hometown anything doesn’t make it on to these kind of lists. But I suppose Orlando has too many disney germs to be healthy.
    I am surprised by the list. It looks like more of a list of hubs than “healthy” airports. Maybe the article mixed it up?
    (For what it’s worth, my U.S. list would be Orlando anyway, and overseas: Hong Kong).

  4. brian stulpin
    January 10, 2009, 8:42 pm

    If Logan out of Boston is in the top ten then the rest of the country is in trouble.

  5. Sara
    January 10, 2009, 9:31 pm

    While I don’t think I can offer a healthy aiport, I’m very suprised to see that Philadelphia made it, considering I don’t think there’s anything about that airport that is healthy. The food concessions are awful, the seats are terrible, and it is dirty.

  6. Tom R
    January 12, 2009, 6:52 am

    Washington National does not exist anymore. The name of the airport is Reagan National (named after our 40th President). Some DC-ites still get bent out of shape by this, but they must learn to live with it. JFK Airport hasn’t been Idlewild for a long time either. The airport was renamed to honor John F. Kennedy, a treasured President. Reagan National was renamed to honor Ronald Reagan, a treasured President. Consistency is a good thing. Thinly veiled partisan resentments…suck.

  7. Whitney
    February 28, 2009, 4:39 pm

    I completely agree about O’Hare. I do whatever I can to avoid that airport. However, I do think that Phoenix Sky Harbor International is a very nice airport. I might be biased because I have a few relatives that work there, but I think even if I did not I would still think that Sky Harbor is clean and for the most part easy to get around.

  8. Kate Rees
    March 12, 2009, 2:17 pm

    Hi
    Has anyone visited Las Las Vegas this month, aka sin city! A great place for world travellers. The Airport is very amusing with its slot machine culture
    Kate x