Newark Liberty International Airport has once again been rated the lowest-ranked “mega airport” in North America, according to a newly-released 2025 J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study.
The survey, based on responses from more than 30,000 travelers between July 2024 and July 2025, gave Newark a score of 565 out of 1,000. That represents a 13-point improvement from last year but still places the airport last among mega airports, defined as those handling more than 33 million passengers annually.
Passengers cited flight delays, cancellations, and congestion as major factors contributing to low satisfaction. Newark has faced runway construction projects, safety-related restrictions on the number of hourly flights, and equipment failures that have disrupted operations in recent months.
The J.D. Power study measures satisfaction across seven categories, including terminal facilities, food and retail, security, and arrival and departure experiences. Overall, mega airports scored lower than smaller airports this year, with travelers reporting longer waits and more crowding.
Despite its ranking, Newark’s slight year-over-year improvement suggests incremental progress.
Just this week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby held a press conference at Newark Airport where he announced plans to hire an additional 2,500 employees and noted that the travel issues which plagued the airport this past summer have largely subsided.
Newark Liberty is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which has invested heavily in recent years on terminal upgrades and runway improvements.
Newark Airport Ranked Dead Last in Passenger Satisfaction as Thousands of Permanently Stranded Passengers Unhappy About Making the Airport Their Permanent Place of Residence
Newark Airport has been rated the lowest ranked airport in America as thousands of passengers, who’ve been permanently stranded in the airport for months and years on end, cited flight delays and their desire to see their families, the sun and the moon once again as their reason for dissatisfaction.
“I just want to go home and see my wife and kids again, instead of staring at the departure and arrival screens 24/7,” said Dale Stevens who’s been stranded in the airport for 360 consecutive days and nights, and who hasn’t seen his wife, his kids, or the Sun or the Moon, since that fateful day last year when he hailed a cab to the airport, only to be stranded inside the airport terminal building on a permanent, 24/7 basis.
“I don’t mind consuming the same airport food day after day,” said Tony Wellstone, a Lakewood resident, who hasn’t seen any trees or grass – or even the sky above – since the moment he arrived in the airport terminal building in November 0f 2023. “But sleeping on airport chairs every night for two consecutive years straight has completely destroyed my back. I need to see a chiropractor immediately! No ifs or buts!”
However, not all of the permanently stranded passengers are upset with their plight.
“ICE agents are waiting for me outside my home,” said Robert Stonebell, a resident of Howell, NJ, who’s in the country illegally. “What can I say, I just have a feeling I’m better off living here in the airport then being shipped off to Alligator Alcatraz.”