OC Airport Ranks Best In The Nation, Per Report

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Most Americans prefer to fly out of this SoCal airport, after John Wayne Airport ranked highest in overall passenger satisfaction among large airports in North America, according to new research from consumer data firm J.D. Power.

The firm's 2025 North America Airport Satisfaction Study draws on feedback from more than 30,000 U.S. or Canadian travelers between July 2024 and July 2025.

The rankings are based on flyer satisfaction scores across seven broad categories.

For John Wayne Airport, categories included: departure and arrival experience, ease of travel through the airport, terminal facilities and level of trust with the airport.

According to the report, JWA ranked first in all five of those categories.

"We spend a great deal of time here, as the administration, trying to engage with the passengers and upgrade our amenities," said Charlene Reynolds, the airport director at JWA, told The Orange County Register. "We’re really focused on the guest experience."

In California, several other Southern California airports also performed well in the study. Ontario International Airport ranked second in the medium-sized category, for airports with 4.5 million to 9.9 million annual flyers.

Hollywood-Burbank Airport ranked in ninth place among medium-sized airports.

Los Angeles International Airport, meanwhile, dropped two spots in the rankings for mega airports — those with 33 million or more annual flyers — coming in No. 15 of 20.

San Diego International ranked 15th among large airports, according to the study.