Holiday travelers pick up baggage in terminal B at the Sacramento International Airport on Monday, Nov. 23, 2020.
California airports rank high in a “Top 5 Best Airports for Holiday Travel” Forbes Advisor listing.
The December ranking put Long Beach Airport in the top spot, with Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport in third. Sacramento International Airport ranked No. 4 in the top 5 list.
Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole in Kona, Hawaii, ranked No. 2. Oakland International Airport took the last spot on the list.
Forbes Advisor analyzed federal transportation data of the busiest airports in the U.S. and scored them based on customer complaints, flight delays and cancellations, mishandled baggage and ticket cost increases.
Best California airports for holiday travel
California airports flooded the “Top 5 Best Airports for Holiday Travel” Forbes Advisor list with the most stress-free airports in the U.S. located in the golden state. Here’s the list:
LONG BEACH AIRPORT | 0 out of 100
Long Beach Airport (LGB) ranked No. 1 in Forbes Advisor’s “Top 5 Best Airports for Holiday Travel” list because of its low ticket costs and flight cancellations.
The airport sold one of the cheapest plane tickets out of the country’s 100 busiest airports at $259.47 between October and December. On average, ticket prices increased by 25% between July and December.
“This is an increase of only 16 cents,” Forbes Advisor wrote in a December study “the ninth-lowest dollar increase in airfare among the 100 busiest airports.”
NORMAN Y. MINETA SAN JOSE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT | 11.26 out of 100
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport’s flights are on schedule more than 85% of the time. Delays caused air traffic occur at less than 3%.
SACRAMENTO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT | 13.77 OUT OF 100
Air traffic rarely affects Sacramento airport’s flights.
The airport shares the title of the 10th lowest percentage of canceled flights at an average of .94%.
The Wall Street Journal recently ranked SMF the best-midsize airport in the United States based on reliability, value and convenience. It had a higher overall score than any location in the country, regardless of size.
OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT | 15.28 out of 100
Oakland International Airport’s flights, according to Forbes Advisor’s December study, are on schedule 84.75% of the time. Flight delays also rarely happen at 2.45%.
Worst airports for holiday travel
No California airport made the “Top 5 Worst Airports for Holiday Travel” Forbes Advisor list.
Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, New York ranked No. 1 worst airport for holiday travel.
San Francisco International Airport ranked No. 7 on the list. Fresno Yosemite International Airport tied with General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the 39th spot.
Here’s’ how the other California airports ranked on the “Worst Airports for Holiday Travel” list:
- Los Angeles International (LAX) – No. 47
- John Wayne Airport (SNA) – No. 73
- San Diego International Airport (SAN) – No. 77
- Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) – No. 91
- Ontario International Airport (ONT) – No. 93
Brianna Taylor covers affordability on The Sacramento Bee’s service journalism desk as well as general news. Before joining The Bee in 2021, she reported in Missouri and Maryland. She grew up on the East Coast and is a graduate of Morgan State University.
