Newark Liberty Ranked Worst Major Airport in U.S. for 2025 in J.D. Power Study

Newark Liberty International Airport has had plenty of widely publicized issues this year, and now the rankings show it.

The airport scored just 565 points of 1,000 in J.D. Power's latest airport rankings. The score puts it dead last among the biggest U.S. airports that serve over 33 million flyers each year.

The study drew from 30,000 responses between July 2024 and July 2025. Researchers checked seven main points: navigation, trust, building quality, staff skills, dining and retail options, plus arrival and departure flow.

Minneapolis-Saint Paul took the top spot for major hubs. Detroit Metro claimed second place, while Phoenix Sky Harbor and Dallas/Fort Worth followed close behind.

Seattle-Tacoma, Charlotte Douglas, and Toronto Pearson all struggled near the bottom. But Newark's problems stood out, landing it in last place.

The New Jersey airport's aging systems caused major disruptions, as broken equipment forced countless flight changes. Old technology kept failing at the worst possible times, throwing schedules into chaos.

Staff shortages hit Newark hard. The lack of workers led to a mess of cancellations. Long lines snaked through terminals as too few employees tried to handle too many travelers.

Many of those issues have since been addressed, and a major expansion and hiring push is going on now.

The study showed big airports across North America buckling under passenger loads. Yet one bright spot emerged: happy travelers spent more at shops and food spots.

Each year, J.D. Power splits airports into three size groups: major hubs serving 33+ million passengers, large airports handling 10 - 32.9 million, and mid-sized facilities with 4.5 - 9.9 million travelers.