World’s best airports revealed in new 2026 ranking
A new global study by AirAdvisor ranks the best airports for US and UK travellers who want to fly on time.
The AirAdvisor Airport Ranking 2026 rated 23 airports most frequented by US and UK travellers based on punctuality, Google reviews, transfer costs, transfer distance, shopping experience, and Skytrax ratings. It uses full-year 2025 Eurocontrol operational data to measure on-time performance.
London Heathrow takes the top spot on the list, ahead of Dublin and Tenerife South.
Heathrow tops the global rankings
Heathrow achieved an overall AirAdvisor score of 16.94, with higher scores reflecting better performance. It is just ahead of Dublin (16.74), the second-highest-ranked airport in the study. Heathrow achieved its high marks despite having the largest passenger volume of any airport in the study.
The ranking evaluated major European and North American gateways based on operational performance and passenger experience. Popular leisure destinations performed particularly well.
European airports dominate
Europe accounted for eight of the top 10 airports in the ranking. The region’s operational performance remains strong despite rising passenger numbers, which are putting pressure on airport capacity.
The results also show that large hubs can compete with smaller regional airports on reliability. Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, outperformed many airports handling a fraction of its traffic. Rome Fiumicino, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Dublin all secured places in the top seven.
European airports outperformed North American airports. Los Angeles International and Orlando International were the only North American airports to break into the top 10.
The 10 best airports in Europe and North America
| Rank | Airport | Score |
| 1 | London Heathrow | 16.94 |
| 2 | Dublin | 16.74 |
| 3 | Tenerife South | 14.81 |
| 4 | Palma de Mallorca | 14.63 |
| 5 | Los Angeles International | 13.79 |
| 6 | Rome Fiumicino | 13.49 |
| 7 | Amsterdam Schiphol | 12.72 |
| 8 | Orlando International | 12.27 |
| 9 | Athens International | 12.26 |
| 10 | Bordeaux Mérignac | 12.15 |
Punctuality remains the biggest differentiator
Punctuality accounts for 40% of the AirAdvisor score. It is the most heavily weighted criterion alongside passenger reviews.
While Heathrow finished first, Bordeaux Mérignac had the highest on-time departure rate in the study at 83.5%. Los Angeles International ranked second for on-time departures, with a rate of 81.7%. Heathrow’s on-time departure rate was 79.1%.
Paris Charles de Gaulle recorded the lowest punctuality rate among the 23 airports studied, at 61.1%.
Across all airports reviewed, the average on-time departure rate was 74%.
“Airports that run chronically late do so for structural reasons,” said Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor. “Capacity limits, ground handling bottlenecks, the way turnaround schedules are built at a specific terminal: none of these fix themselves between summers. Years of claim data show the same airports at the bottom. Passengers booking through them are not getting that information.”
AirAdvisor ranking methodology
AirAdvisor analysed 23 airports frequently used by travellers from the UK and the United States.
The scores used for the ranking are combined from:
- Full-year 2025 Eurocontrol on-time departure data
- More than 1.1 million Google passenger reviews
- Airport shopping assessments
- Publicly available airport transport cost and transfer distance data
- Skytrax airport ratings
The company weighted each airport’s score across the six categories as follows:
- Punctuality (40%)
- Passenger reviews (40%)
- Transfer cost (8%)
- Airport shopping experience (5%)
- Transfer distance (4%)
- Skytrax airport rating (3%)
The methodology favoured airports that provide reliable operations and a positive passenger experience.
