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Traveling during the holiday season can be stressful in and of itself, and layovers – whether planned or unplanned – can make or break your journey.
Whether it’s a short layover that forces you to sprint through the terminal or a long layover that seems to go on forever, certain U.S. airports are better suited for layovers than others, new data suggest.
Researchers with MarketWatch Guides analyzed 20 different metrics, ranging from food and beverage prices to how easy it is to log in to the airport’s WiFi, to determine which major airports provide the best overall layover experience, plus the top layover spots for frequent fliers and families. For more information on MarketWatch Guide’s metrics, click here.
The data found that the overall best airport to be stuck in is George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, which had high ratings in food and beverage choice, shop selection and stores per passenger per hour.
“The Houston hub also had high ratings for food and beverage prices and staff service, along with the maximum rating for ease of Wi-Fi login,” analysts said.
Other airports in the top 10 for best overall layover experience are Washington Dulles International Airport (No. 2), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (No. 5) and Salt Lake City International Airport (No. 10).
No California airport made MarketWatch Guide’s top 10 for best overall layover experience.
The top 10 best airports for overall layover experience, according to MarketWatch Guide, can be viewed in the table below:
| Rank | Airport | Food and beverage choice rating |
Food and beverage price rating |
Shop selection rating | Restaurants per 100 people per hour |
Stores per 100 people per hour |
| 1. | George Bush Inter- continental Airport |
4.5 | 4 | 4.1 | 1.97 | 1.82 |
| 2. | Washington Dulles Int’l Airport | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1.73 | 1.98 |
| 3. | Logan Int’l Airport | 4 | 3.5 | 4 | 1.80 | 1.97 |
| 4. | Detroit Metropolitan Airport | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1.06 | 0.96 |
| 5. | Seattle-Tacoma Int’l Airport | 4 | 3.5 | 4 | 0.92 | 0.74 |
| 6. | Ronald Reagan National Airport | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 1.94 | 1.03 |
| 7. | Tampa Int’l Airport | 4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 1.75 | 1.34 |
| 8. | Denver Int’l Airport | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1.33 | 1.13 |
| 9. | John F. Kennedy Int’l Airport | 3.5 | 3 | 4 | 2.23 | 1.49 |
| 10. | Salt Lake City Int’l Airport | 4 | 4 | 3.5 | 1.19 | 1.23 |
As for Los Angeles International Airport, it ranked 17th on the overall layover experience list, with relatively average numbers across many of MarketWatch Guide’s ratings, including airport staff helpfulness and passenger congestion.
LAX is the 21st most family friendly airport for layovers in America, data shows.
For frequent fliers, MarketWatch Guide researchers analyzed the general distribution of airport lounges and other unique amenities available to frequent travelers.
George Bush Intercontinental ranked first on the frequent flier layover experience list as well, with their lounges offering the best selections of shops and food and beverages, data show.
John F. Kennedy International Airport ranked second on the list for frequent fliers, with more lounges per 100 people per hour than Houston’s hub.
LAX squeaked into the top 10 airports for frequent flyer layovers with 0.28 lounges per 100 people per hour and a shopping and food and beverage rating of 3.5 out of 5, according to MarketWatch Guide.
The top 10 best airports for frequent flyer layover experience, according to MarketWatch Guide, can be viewed in the table below:
| Rank | Airport | Lounges per 100 people per hour |
American Express Centurion Lounge | Food/beverage choice rating | Shop selection rating |
| 1. | George Bush Inter- continental Airport |
0.32 | Yes | 4.5 | 4.1 |
| 2. | John F. Kennedy Int’l Airport | 0.43 | Yes | 3.5 | 4 |
| 3. | Washington Dulles Int’l Airport | 0.54 | No | 4 | 4 |
| 4. | Seattle-Tacoma Int’l Airport | 0.21 | Yes | 4 | 4 |
| 5. | Philadelphia Int’l Airport | 0.35 | Yes | 3.5 | 3 |
| 6. | Miami Int’l Airport | 0.17 | Yes | 4 | 4 |
| 7. | Denver Int’l Airport | 0.18 | Yes | 4 | 4 |
| 8. | LaGuardia Airport | 0.18 | Yes | 4 | 3.5 |
| 9. | Charlotte Douglas Int’l Airport | 0.13 | Yes | 4 | 4 |
| 10. | Los Angeles Int’l Airport | 0.28 | Yes | 3.5 | 3.5 |
As for families, amenities like the distribution of family restrooms and nursing rooms and the number of children’s play areas were taken into consideration, as was airport seating availability.
Based on these metrics, Detroit Metropolitan Airport ranks as the best for families on layover, with more kids play areas than any other major airport in the nation.
The only California airport to make it on this list was San Francisco International Airport; the 10th best in the country for traveling families is tied with Salt Lake City International Airport with most nursing rooms per passenger (0.004 each).
The top 10 best airports for family layover experience, according to MarketWatch Guide, can be viewed in the table below:
| Rank | Airport | Family restrooms per 100 people per hour | Nursing rooms per 100 people per hour | Number of kids play areas | Food/beverage price ratings | Seat availability rating |
| 1. | Detroit Metropolitan Airport | 0.75 | 0.25 | 5 | 4 | 3.7 |
| 2. | Logan Int’l Airport | 0.92 | 0.22 | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| 3. | George Bush Intercontinental Airport | 0.26 | 0.17 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 4. | Washington Dulles Int’l Airport | 0.33 | 0.17 | 1 | 3.5 | 4 |
| 5. | Seattle-Tacoma Int’l Airport | 0.67 | 0.17 | 1 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| 6. | Salt Lake City Int’l Airport | 0.24 | 0.44 | 0 | 4 | 3.5 |
| 7. | Baltimore-Washington Int’l Airport | 0.50 | 0.27 | 1 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| 8. | LaGuardia Airport | 0.24 | 0.27 | 2 | 4 | 3.8 |
| 9. | Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport | 0.44 | 0.18 | 1 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| 10. | San Francisco Int’l Airport | 0.17 | 0.39 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
On the opposite end of the spectrum, MarketWatch Guide found that the overall worst airport for layovers is Orlando International Airport, with ratings for seat availability, cleanliness, access to chargers and staff service among the lowest in the nation.
Unfortunately for California, two airports made it on the worst layovers list: San Francisco International Airport (No. 6) and San Diego International Airport (No. 7).
SFO has some of the worst food and beverage service in the nation, MarketWatch Guide data say, and space can be hard to find at San Diego International, which received a 2.75 out of 5 rating for seat availability.
To read more about the MarketWatch Guide list of best and worst U.S. airports for layovers, click here.
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