This Underrated New York Airport Has Some Of The Best Customer Satisfaction In America

When flying out of New York State, you may have debated the merits of JFK versus LaGuardia — but if you're flying out of western New York, you can avoid the big city chaos and enjoy one of the best U.S. airports for customer satisfaction: Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF). According to J.D. Power, which specializes in consumer insights and data analytics, in their North America Airport Satisfaction Study, Buffalo Niagara International Airport was ranked as one of the top airports in North America. While it won't get you to Broadway, when flying into BUF, you can visit Buffalo's industrial neighborhood of Silo City or explore the area's gorgeous waterfront and stunning botanical gardens. Maybe best of all, Buffalo Niagara International Airport can be the gateway to your romantic trip to Niagara Falls. 

But, how did BUF receive such a high ranking compared to other, more highly trafficked airports? The North America Airport Satisfaction Study sorted airports into categories based on how many passengers fly in and out of them every year. J.D. Power doesn't rank small airports in this study, but Buffalo Niagara is in the smallest category they do consider: medium. That means that Buffalo Niagara was only ranked against other airports with between 4.5 and 9.9 million annual flyers. Buffalo Niagara International Airport came in third in this category, beaten only by Ontario International Airport and Indianapolis International Airport, which took the crown for the best customer service yet again.

The North America Airport Satisfaction Study ranked these airports based on reports from more than 30,000 travelers based on factors like how easy they are to navigate, the quality of the terminals, experiences with airport staff, and the shopping and dining options. Buffalo Niagara International Airport isn't a particularly large airport, which means that there are a limited number of direct flights coming to and from it, but that also has advantages. For one thing, it often doesn't seem as crowded as other airports. Also, unlike some massive airports, it's relatively easy to find your way around inside — something the J.D. Power study weighs very highly.

Going through airport security isn't most people's favorite thing, and you might have to wait in line there for a little while, but at least at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, TSA technology is updated enough that you don't have to pull your laptop out of your bag before you send it through the scanner. This small change can speed things up significantly. To top it off, BUF also offers some wooden rocking chairs to enjoy while you wait for your flight, which is pretty charming.