Are These REALLY The Best Airports In North America?

Question: What's the worst part of travel? If you answered "the airport," we totally feel you. Airports are often crowded, sketchy, and lacking in amenities. But there are a few beacons of hope across North America that make the skies seem just a bit friendlier. Leading aviation reviewer Skytrax just released the results of its annual World Airport Awards, including a list of the best airports in North America. And apparently, the best of the best is — drumroll, please — Vancouver International Airport. This is the seventh year in a row that Vancouver International has snagged the top spot. With 20.3 million annual passengers, the airport ranked highly for its friendly staff, organization, and easy access to the city.

Second place went to Denver International, which sees 53 million passengers. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport rounded out the top five. More than 550 airports were included in the survey. Skytrax used 39 service and performance parameters to develop the list, including facility comfort, location of bathrooms, and the language skills of the staff. But while Vancouver may be the best option for flying on this continent, Changi Airport in Singapore snagged the coveted title of "best airport in the world" (and it's easy to see why). None of the North American airports appeared on that top-10 list. Peruse the list of all 10 domestic winners below — and try not to roll your eyes when you get to number nine. For the complete ranking in every category, click on over to Skytrax.

Best Airports In North America:
1. Vancouver
2. Denver
3. Cincinnati/N Kentucky
4. San Francisco
5. Atlanta
6. Toronto Pearson
7. Seattle-Tacoma
8. Dallas/Fort Worth
9. New York JFK
10. Halifax Stanfield