Timing is crucial in flying, as travelers need to account for TSA wait times, checking a bag, and more when planning a trip. The importance of timing isn’t limited to what passengers do before getting through security either.
Anyone who's sprinted across an airport to catch a connecting flight or lugged a suitcase past dozens of gates as their boarding time ticks ever closer knows not all airports are built the same. Some let you glide through the concourse with ease, while others turn airport navigation into a genuine workout.
To give travelers a better understanding of how much time they should budget to comfortably get around at the airport, the Travel Bulletin team measured on-foot and tram/train walking distances and times at 50 major U.S. airports. That data was then used to identify the most and least walkable airports, as well as the best and worst airports for passengers needing to make a connecting flight.
In this article
The Shortcut
Denver International (DEN) is ranked last for both walkability and ease of making connecting flights.
There are six airports where the longest walk between any two gates is more than 1 mile: LAX (6,811 feet), MIA (6,393 feet), ORD (6,230 feet), CLT (5,839 feet), JFK (5,749 feet), and PDX (5,300 feet).
Richmond International (RIC) is the most walkable major airport in the U.S., while Charleston International (CHS) is best for connecting flights.
Across all 50 airports, the average longest on-foot walk between two gates is 3,241 feet, and the longest possible inter-airport travel time between gates averages about 20 minutes. A train or shuttle covers at least part of that worst-case trip at 23 of 50 airports.
What We Looked At
To evaluate how good or bad each airport is for walkability and connecting flights, we reviewed interactive airport maps and calculated the distance (and travel time) between different points in the airport. In total, we found how long it would take to travel between:
The furthest gates within the largest concourse. An airport’s largest concourse tends to be one of the busiest, with many flights taking off and landing daily. We found the maximum distance a passenger could travel within each airport's largest concourse.
The furthest gates within an average-sized concourse. Many airports have a large main concourse and smaller clusters of gates, shops, and restaurants.
The furthest possible gates at the airport. We found the two active gates located farthest apart, regardless of which section(s) of the airport they are in. This nightmare scenario usually involves crossing multiple concourses or even traveling to another terminal.
Security to the closest gate. For some lucky travelers, it takes only a few steps to get from security screening to their boarding gate.
Security to the farthest-away gate. For others, getting through security is only the beginning. In some cases, travelers must walk more than half a mile to reach a boarding gate after clearing TSA.
To evaluate airport walkability, we focused on how many feet passengers would have to walk themselves between each point. For connecting flights, the emphasis was on the total amount of time it takes (in minutes) to get from point A to point B, with bonus points given to airports where a tram or shuttle service speeds up the process.
The Most and Least Walkable Airports in the U.S.
An airport’s walkability, or lack thereof, can have an unexpectedly large impact on a trip. Someone rushing to make a tight connection or get to their gate before the final boarding call can only do so much to speed things up when facing a lengthy walk from security or an arrival gate.
Unlike TSA lines or weather, the distance between gates is baked into the airport's design, not something a traveler can plan around ahead of time unless they know it's coming. For anyone flying with young kids, mobility limitations, or just a heavy carry-on, a mile-long trek between gates isn't a minor inconvenience, it can be the difference between making or missing a flight entirely.
The Most Walkable Airports in the U.S.
1. Richmond International Airport (RIC), Richmond, VA
Walkability Score: 46.8 out of 50
Longest on-foot walk between any two gates: 1,670 feet (0.3 miles)
Security to closest gate: 185 feet
Security to farthest gate: 925 feet
2. Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), Jacksonville, FL
Walkability Score: 45.5 out of 50
Longest on-foot walk between any two gates: 1,498 feet (0.3 miles)
Security to closest gate: 406 feet
Security to farthest gate: 852 feet
3. San Antonio International Airport (SAT), San Antonio, TX
Walkability Score: 45.2 out of 50
Longest on-foot walk between any two gates: 2,241 feet (0.4 miles)
Security to closest gate: 224 feet
Security to farthest gate: 858 feet
4. Bradley International Airport (BDL), Hartford, CT
Walkability Score: 44.7 out of 50
Longest on-foot walk between any two gates: 1,801 feet (0.3 miles)
Security to closest gate: 342 feet
Security to farthest gate: 1,101 feet
5. Charleston International Airport (CHS), Charleston, SC
Walkability Score: 44.4 out of 50
Longest on-foot walk between any two gates: 1,257 feet (0.2 miles)
Security to closest gate: 618 feet
Security to farthest gate: 1,158 feet
The top-performing airports for walkability have something in common: size. Every single one of the top five airports (Richmond, Jacksonville, San Antonio, Hartford, and Charleston) has fewer than 30 active gates, making them some of the smallest airports we analyzed. This compact size benefits travelers, as the farthest walk in each of those airports is less than half a mile.
Even among bigger airports, such as Minneapolis, Tampa, and Seattle, layouts and infrastructure like trams and shuttles help reduce how far passengers might have to walk. As a result, every single airport in the top 10 for walkability has a maximum walk distance of less than three-quarters of a mile. The maximum distance between a security checkpoint and a boarding gate is also less than 1,200 feet at each of these airports, making that part of the trip exceptionally easy for travelers.
The Least Walkable Airports in the U.S.
1. Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver, CO
Walkability Score: 10.9 out of 50
Longest on-foot walk between any two gates: 4,808 feet (0.9 miles)
Security to closest gate: 1,772 feet
Security to farthest gate: 4,438 feet
2. LaGuardia Airport (LGA), New York, NY
Walkability Score: 20.4 out of 50
Longest on-foot walk between any two gates: 3,723 feet (0.7 miles)
Security to closest gate: 1,821 feet
Security to farthest gate: 2,070 feet
3. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), Salt Lake City, UT
Walkability Score: 21.7 out of 50
Longest on-foot walk between any two gates: 4,585 feet (0.9 miles)
Security to closest gate: 893 feet
Security to farthest gate: 3,158 feet
4. Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), San Jose, CA
Walkability Score: 26.9 out of 50
Longest on-foot walk between any two gates: 4,955 feet (0.9 miles)
Security to closest gate: 258 feet
Security to farthest gate: 4,013 feet
5. Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, MA
Walkability Score: 28.7 out of 50
Longest on-foot walk between any two gates: 2,635 feet (0.5 miles)
Security to closest gate: 467 feet
Security to farthest gate: 3,501 feet
The worst-scoring airports don't share quite as many similarities as their most-walkable counterparts. Denver, Salt Lake City, San Jose, and Boston are undone by sheer distance: at each of those airports the walk from security to the farthest gate alone stretches past 3,000 feet, and actually exceeds 4,000 feet at two of those travel hubs (Denver and San Jose).
LaGuardia is the only airport in the bottom five with a relatively reasonable maximum walk from security to a boarding gate, but even that stat reveals an interesting quirk: its security-to-closest-gate walk (1,821 feet) is nearly as long as its security-to-farthest-gate walk (2,070 feet). That means there's effectively no "easy" gate to access after security, with every passenger having to walk at least a third of a mile to their gate.
The Best and Worst Airports for Connections
Making a tight connection window depends on a lot of things that travelers can’t control. TSA lines can be dodged with PreCheck (for travelers who have to pass through security if their connection is departing from a different terminal), and a late flight can sometimes be made up in the air, but the walk from your arrival gate to your next one is fixed the moment the airline assigns it. No amount of hustling changes how far apart two gates actually are (or how complicated it is to navigate between them).
Best Airports for Connecting Flights
1. Charleston International Airport (CHS), Charleston, SC
Connection Score: 48.8 out of 50
Longest total travel time between any two gates: about 6 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in largest concourse: about 2 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in average concourse: about 1 minute
2. Richmond International Airport (RIC), Richmond, VA
Connection Score: 47.8 out of 50
Longest total travel time between any two gates: about 7 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in largest concourse: about 4 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in average concourse: about 2 minutes
3. Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), Jacksonville, FL
Connection Score: 47.1 out of 50
Longest total travel time between any two gates: about 8 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in largest concourse: about 3 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in average concourse: about 3 minutes
4. Bradley International Airport (BDL), Hartford, CT
Connection Score: 46.3 out of 50
Longest total travel time between any two gates: about 9 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in largest concourse: about 3 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in average concourse: about 3 minutes
5. Tampa International Airport (TPA), Tampa, FL
Connection Score: 45.6 out of 50
Longest total travel time between any two gates: about 12 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in largest concourse: about 5 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in average concourse: about 5 minutes
All of the best airports for making a connecting flight feature manageable concourse designs, as the largest concourse in each airport can be walked end-to-end in 8 minutes or less. In fact, it takes less than 5 minutes to go from one end to the other in the biggest terminal at half of this list. That compact concourse design means that even switching from one concourse to another to make a connection is manageable, as the longest possible walk from one gate to another takes 15 minutes or less at nine of the 10 airports listed here, including six where the max journey lasts 10 minutes or less.
Worst Airports for Connecting Flights
1. Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver, CO
Connection Score: 14.3 out of 50
Longest total travel time between any two gates: about 34 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in largest concourse: about 23 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in average concourse: about 16 minutes
2. LaGuardia Airport (LGA), New York, NY
Connection Score: 16.0 out of 50
Longest total travel time between any two gates: about 51 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in largest concourse: about 20 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in average concourse: about 16 minutes
3. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), Salt Lake City, UT
Connection Score: 21.4 out of 50
Longest total travel time between any two gates: about 23 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in largest concourse: about 19 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in average concourse: about 16 minutes
4. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, TX
Connection Score: 28.2 out of 50
Longest total travel time between any two gates: about 15 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in largest concourse: about 15 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in average concourse: about 15 minutes
5. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Connection Score: 28.4 out of 50
Longest total travel time between any two gates: about 20 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in largest concourse: about 16 minutes
Total travel time end-to-end in average concourse: about 16 minutes
Half of the ten worst-scoring airports for connections, Denver, LaGuardia, Dallas/Fort Worth, Boston, and Newark, have some kind of train or shuttle on their longest route, but even that isn't enough to save them. Those airports and the rest of the bottom 10 are simply too spread out to guarantee a quick trip from an arrival gate to your departure point, as the longest possible gate-to-gate trip takes a minimum of 15 minutes at every airport listed, and stretches to 20-plus at eight of the 10.
Impact of Airport Transit Systems
One step some airports take to reduce walking burden and speed up inter-airport travel is including trains and shuttle buses that can quickly carry travelers between terminals or concourses. Twenty-three of the 50 airports studied use a train or shuttle for at least part of their longest gate-to-gate route (and two-MCO and CVG-require all passengers to take a tram to their gate after security), but how much of the trip that assistance actually covers can vary.
Airports Where Transit Can Help With a Connection
1. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Share of longest route covered by train/shuttle: 84%
On-foot portion: 1,488 feet (0.3 miles) | Total including train: 9,137 feet (1.7 miles)
2. LaGuardia Airport (LGA), New York, NY
Share of longest route covered by train/shuttle: 76%
On-foot portion: 3,723 feet (0.7 miles) | Total including train: 15,309 feet (2.9 miles)
3. Ontario International Airport (ONT), Ontario, CA
Share of longest route covered by train/shuttle: 70%
On-foot portion: 1,447 feet (0.3 miles) | Total including train: 4,810 feet (0.9 miles)
4. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), St. Paul, MN
Share of longest route covered by train/shuttle: 67%
On-foot portion: 3,365 feet (0.6 miles) | Total including train: 10,165 feet (1.9 miles)
5. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Houston, TX
Share of longest route covered by train/shuttle: 65%
On-foot portion: 1,947 feet (0.4 miles) | Total including train: 5,535 feet (1.0 miles)
Dallas/Fort Worth leans on its train more than any other airport in the study, as 84% of its longest route is covered by train rather than on foot. LaGuardia is the cautionary example, as its train also does a lot of work (76% of the route), but the airport is spread out enough that even a heavily assisted trip still adds up to a journey of nearly 3 miles and 51 minutes. Before you land, it's worth pulling up your connecting airport’s app that shows real-time gate maps so you know which kind of airport you're dealing with.
What Makes Some Airports So Difficult
Some airports are slow because of a long walk from security to the gate, others because of a long slog across one big terminal, which is why an airport can score differently on walkability and ease of connection, depending on which problem it has.
Hub complexity: Airports built around multiple connecting terminals for one or more major airlines tend to spread gates farther apart than airports designed mainly for point-to-point flying.
Terminal age and design: Older airports built and expanded in phases over decades often end up with disjointed, spread-out layouts, while newer or fully rebuilt terminals are more likely to be designed around a single efficient walk.
Transit system age and design: A train or shuttle system built into an airport's original design tends to cover more ground than one retrofitted later to patch an already-sprawling layout.
None of this is something a traveler can fix in the moment, but is something you can plan around. If you're routing through an airport where connections are tougher, it's worth booking extra buffer time or looking at airports with better amenities for a layover if a longer connection is unavoidable.
Improve Your Airport Experience
Speed up the one part of your trip you can control: a long walk is a long walk, but a slow security line doesn't have to add to it. TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, and NEXUS can buy back the minutes a tough layout takes away.
Make a long wait pay for itself: if you're routed through one of the airports at the bottom of either list, a longer buffer is smart planning, not wasted time. Learn how to get into an airport lounge to spend it comfortably instead of pacing a gate area.
Budget for the parts of the trip you can't skip: parking, food, and last-minute purchases all add up. A few simple savings moves can help offset those extra costs.
Full Data
*Requires use of train or shuttle
Methodology
Travel Bulletin used TripIt Pro's interactive airport maps to measure walking distance (in feet) and walking time (in minutes) at 50 major U.S. airports, across five gate-to-gate scenarios per airport: the longest possible walk between any two gates in the airport, the walk end-to-end in the airport's largest terminal, the walk end-to-end in an average-sized terminal, and the walk from security to both the closest and farthest possible departure gate. Where a route included a train or moving walkway, that portion's distance and time were recorded separately from the on-foot portion. Data was collected for concourses and terminals serving domestic flights, excluding any dedicated international terminals or concourses.
Each of the five scenarios was converted to a 0 to 5 factor score relative to the best- and worst-performing airport in the study, then combined into a weighted composite score out of 50. The Walkability Score is based on on-foot distance only and weights the two security-to-gate scenarios most heavily, since that's the leg every traveler has to cover alone on foot, however good or bad the rest of the airport's layout is. The Connection Score is based on total travel time (on-foot plus any train or moving walkway) across the same five scenarios, but weights the terminal-crossing scenarios and the single longest gate-to-gate trip most heavily, and adds a small bonus for any airport with a train or shuttle on its longest route.
