* 9/17/25 - Crains - O'Hare, Midway rise in latest customer satisfaction rankings + related JD power report.................................
Buzz Sawyer
17 September 2025
O'Hare, Midway rise in latest customer satisfaction rankings
J.D Power today released its latest rankings of airport customer satisfaction levels, and while Chicago's airports continue to rate below average, they improved slightly year-over-year.
O'Hare International Airport moved from No. 18 to No. 16 this year among "mega" airports, or those with 33 million or more annual passengers. Minneapolis-Saint Paul took the top spot in that category, followed by Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
"(O'Hare) wasn't designed to handle this many people," said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power, noting the airport's age. "It's in desperate need of an overhaul."
The airport, of course, is about to get exactly that with the $8.2 billion redevelopment program the city is calling ORDNext. "The biggest issue at O'Hare is the actual terminal facilities, and they are finally addressing that," Taylor said.
Taylor cautioned the airport could see its customer satisfaction ratings slip again before they get better because of inconveniences caused by construction. "You've got to break some eggs to make an omelet," he said.
O'Hare improved slightly as it relates to food and retail offerings, one of the seven key categories J.D. Power uses to evaluate airports. The others are "ease of travel through airport, level of trust with airport, terminal facilities, airport staff, departure/to airport experience and arrival/from airport experience."
Meanwhile, Midway International Airport jumped from No. 23 to No. 19 among "large" airports, or those with 10 million to 32.9 million passengers per year. John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., led that category.
"They definitely need some more space at MDW," Taylor said. "It's the same issue as O'Hare, only on a little bit smaller scale."
To determine the rankings, the Michigan-based consumer insights company surveyed 30,500 travelers about their experiences at North American airports from July 2024 to July 2025.
Jack Grieve is a Crain’s reporter covering the news people are talking about, from Chicago and West Michigan to Cleveland, Detroit and New York.