New study ranks U.S. airports, airport coffee remains a gamble

William P. Hobby Airport in Houston brewed the best airport coffee experience in the new ranking, finishing first with a 4.03 average. Kahului Airport was right behind at 4.00, a surprise result that will feel familiar to travelers who have learned that the best cup is not always at the biggest hub. At the other end, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport landed dead last at 2.00, followed by LaGuardia at 2.08, St. Louis Lambert at 2.13, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood at 2.23, and Chicago Midway at 2.32. Across the full sample, airport coffee averaged just 2.94 out of 5, and only 23 of the 50 airports managed an average of 3.0 or better.

The ranking came from Upgraded Points, which analyzed Google Reviews for 475 coffee shops in the 50 largest U.S. airports and scored them using average ratings, coffee-shop density per 10,000 daily passengers, and coffee-shop density per square mile. That combination matters. It rewards airports that not only pack in enough caffeine stops to handle the morning rush, but also make those stops worth the detour. A terminal with plenty of coffee outlets still can finish poorly if the reviews are brutal and the cup is forgettable.

Behind the leaders, Pittsburgh International placed third at 3.83, followed by Miami International at 3.56 and Raleigh-Durham International at 3.53. That top tier points to a clear pattern: airports that support local or distinctive operators tend to fare better than those leaning too heavily on standardized, mass-market concessions. Travelers notice when a stop feels like more than a transactional shot of espresso before boarding.

The bottom half tells the harsher story. LaGuardia and Midway are major passenger gateways, but the numbers suggest that convenience alone does not buy a better cup. For frequent flyers, that means airport coffee remains a gamble, even in places with heavy traffic and plenty of retail square footage. For airport operators and concession managers, the ranking is a blunt reminder that coffee is not a side issue. It is one of the first brand impressions a traveler gets during a stressful trip, and if the airport wants coffee to be part of its value proposition, quality has to be built into the concession mix, not just the footprint.