The behemoth list of the world’s best from Travel + Leisure magazine arrived this week, and New England made a strong showing in several categories, but perhaps none more surprising than “Readers’ 10 favorite domestic airports.” Travel + Leisure describes these airports as “less-crowded alternatives to major airports.”
We’ve always taken issue with the name Manchester-Boston (Boston is 50 miles from Manchester!), but readers of the posh travel glossy were less concerned with the name and more pleased with the experiences they’ve had breezing through security. They named it their favorite domestic airport in the country. Manchester-Boston, which serves 1.7 million passengers a year, was praised for its staff, which readers found to be friendly and knowledgeable. American Airlines, Avelo, Southwest, Spirit, and United Airlines fly out from Manchester-Boston.
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Not far behind on the list of top domestic airports was T.F. Green in Providence. It was ranked number six. T.F. Greene regularly shows up on the list of best airports in Condé Nast Traveler as well. Upstart airline Breeze Airways has helped give T.F. Green access to several secondary airports around the country, in addition to a new route to Los Angeles. Airlines flying out of T.F. Green include American, Breeze, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, and United.
Travel + Leisure’s list of the top 10 domestic airports of 2023.
1. Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. Reader Score: 85.31 (out of 100).
2. Indianapolis International Airport. Reader Score: 81.10.
3. Tampa International Airport. Reader Score: 80.08.
4. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Reader Score: 79.93.
5. Portland (Ore.) International Airport: Reader Score: 79.44.
6. T.F. Green Airport. Reader Score: 78.80.
7. Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Reader Score: 78.47.
8. Palm Beach International Airport. Reader Score: 76.15.
9. Salt Lake City International Airport: Reader Score: 76.14.
10. Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (Mississippi). Reader Score: 75.88.
Either Manchester-Boston or T.F. Greene might be a good alternative this summer as the Sumner Tunnel closure, and ensuing traffic, have made getting to Logan more challenging. Speaking of Logan, the airport missed the list of the top 10 international airports, but that’s not surprising given that it was up against stiff competition from acclaimed airports in Singapore, Dubai, and Tokyo.
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There were some changes on the magazine’s list of the top 10 domestic airlines. Breeze, which came in strong at number two last year, dropped to four. Hawaiian Airlines retained the top spot with Alaska Airlines and Delta rounding out the top three. Readers choose their favorites based on the criteria of cabin comfort, in-flight service, customer service, and value.
Travel + Leisure’s list of the top 10 domestic airlines of 2023.
1. Hawaiian Airlines. Reader Score: 81.63 (out of 100).
2. Alaska Airlines. Reader Score: 77.25.
3. Delta Air Lines. Reader Score: 76.87.
4. Breeze Airways. Reader Score: 75.94.
5. JetBlue Airways. Reader Score: 75.80.
6. Southwest Airlines. Reader Score: 73.76.
7. United Airlines. Reader Score: 68.97.
8. American Airlines. Reader Score: 66.56.
9. Sun Country Airlines. Reader Score: 66.51.
10. Allegiant. Reader Score: 64.54.
By now you may be wondering “Where’s Boston in all of these rankings?” Fear not, friends. Boston was voted number 14 on the list of the 15 best cities in the United States. Charleston, S.C., was once again voted the top city in the country. Boston was bested on the list by Santa Fe (!), and San Antonio (!!). So take these rankings with an extraordinarily large grain of salt. The Newbury Boston was voted number two on the list of the best city hotels in the country — just below the Peninsula in Chicago.
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Travel + Leisure readers showed love to several New England resorts. Quisisana Resort in Lovell, Maine, was ranked the fourth-best resort in the country. Also on the list at number 10 was the Wauwinet on Nantucket, the Candleberry Inn in Brewster was 11, and perennial favorite the Pickering House Inn in Wolfeboro, N.H., was 12.
Finally, let’s end close to home with the magazine’s top 10 hotels in Boston. Readers scored these hotels on rooms, location, service, food, and value. There were no surprises on this list, which is full of old favorites such as XV Beacon, the Four Season One Dalton, the Boston Harbor Hotel, and the Langham Boston.
Travel + Leisure’s list of the top 10 Boston hotels of 2023
1. The Newbury Boston. Reader Score: 97.71 (out of 100)
2. Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street Boston. Reader Score: 94.17
3. XV Beacon. Reader Score: 93.04
4. Four Seasons Hotel Boston. Reader Score: 89.61
5. Mandarin Oriental, Boston. Reader Score: 89.60
6. The Langham, Boston. Reader Score: 89.50
7. Hotel Commonwealth. Reader Score: 89.44
8. Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport. Reader Score: 89.07
9. Liberty Hotel. Reader Score: 88.51
10. Boston Harbor Hotel at Rowes Wharf. Reader Score: 88.08
Christopher Muther can be reached at christopher.muther@globe.com. Follow him @Chris_Muther and Instagram @chris_muther.