The Ultimate List of Best-to-Worst Indiana Airports

The state of Indiana officially joined the United States in the winter of 1816. Indiana is an underrated home for many celebrities. Some of them who are from there are Freddie Gibbs, Larry Bird, Janet Jackson along with the rest of her siblings in The Jackson 5, and Mike Epps. Many people visit Indiana to attend the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers games, and races. Indiana has their iconic racetrack known as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Major auto racing sports leagues such as NASCAR and F-1 sports racing come to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to hold pivotal races in their season at “The Spectacle of Racing.” Not to mention, Indiana is a college basketball hot spot with many successful universities in March Madness every year.

What many people don’t know about Indiana is that they’re the largest steel-producing state in America. They produce 1/4 of the total steel in the United States. Indiana has some of the best airports in the nation. People fly out to Indiana to visit their main attractions and historical sites. This article is the ultimate list of best-to-worst Indiana airports. The Indiana airports will be ranked from best to worst at the end of the article.

Indianapolis International Airport

Earlier this year, the Indianapolis International Airport won their eleventh straight “Best Airport In North America” award from the Airport Council International. The airports that can win the award are rated based on thirty-four different criteria. Some of those criteria are food & beverage, check-ins, overall cleanliness of the airport, and security. What helped them gain eleven straight awards has been the consistent staff service. There have been slight fears from the airport managers that some of the staff may be retiring soon, but the staff all see each other as family. The Indianapolis International Airport is seven miles southwest of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Positives

They have a good amount of airlines available. Some of the airlines there are American Airlines, Allegiant Airlines, Delta Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, Sun Country Airlines, United Airlines, and Frontier Airlines. The state offers forty total flights including five international flights and eight non-stop domestic flights. The eight non-stop domestic flights are to Las Vegas, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Ft. Meyers, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., and Seattle-Tacoma.

Indianapolis International has free Wi-Fi and EV charging stations. The staff are known for their fast security lines and good check-in protocols. Something people do when it comes to airports is to arrive two hours beforehand, but with Indianapolis International, that isn’t the case. People can check in and get through security in twenty minutes.

Aspiring artists and musicians perform at the airport, giving travelers something different to do while passing the time. The airport is filled with artwork. Indianapolis International also has plenty of nationally recognized food chains and local food chain businesses to give visitors a taste of Indiana. There are stores in the airport where people can buy merch and clothing. Most of the food spots and stores are closed most days at 9 p.m.

The airport is very accomodable to parents and handicapped individuals. They have children’s care rooms and helpful wheelchair service. Parking is relatively cheap as it costs four dollars per day. The airport also has a bus line that takes visitors to downtown Indy.

Room For Improvement

Some travelers have complained about the lack of direct flights at the international airport. The rideshare dropoff and pickup locations can be confusing for some. However, they’re practically around the same spots.

Fort Wayne International Airport

Fort Wayne International Airport is eight miles southwest of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Before Fort Wayne was the home to the international airport, it was the home of the modern-day Detroit Pistons. The Fort Wayne Pistons and at the time, Minneapolis Lakers still hold the record for the lowest-scoring basketball game with the final score of 19-18. The Pistons’ first year was 1941 and the Fort Wayne International Airport opened its airways in 1942.

The Fort Wayne airport once held the record for being the busiest airport in the United States. It once held the United States record from 2000 until 2016. Due to the airport’s growing number of customers, Fort Wayne underwent new renovations to help customers. They’ve added several new airlines in the 2000s, expanded their rideshare operations and parking, and are currently expanding their terminals to have more flights available. It’s a midsized airport similar to the Indianapolis International Airport.

The Positives

Fort Wayne’s staff is a very efficient one. They’re able to adapt to the new adjustments of the airport in the past two decades and not fall off on their customer service quality. Their rental car process is a fast and efficient one. It’s a very clean and sanitary airport. Some staff have given visitors free cookies as a way to provide welcoming customer service. TSA moves quickly for people and afterwards, they can visit a brewery to get some good quality drinks before their flights.

They offer more direct flights than Indianapolis International Airport. Indianapolis offers eight direct non-stop flights while Fort Wayne offers twelve direct non-stop flights. The twelve direct flights Fort Wayne offers are to:

• Sarasota, Florida
• Las Vegas, Nevada
• Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
• Orlando, Florida
• Phoenix, Arizona
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• Chicago, Illinois
• Atlanta, Florida
• Tampa, Florida
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Fort Myers, Florida

One can fly internationally to the Carribean Islands. It might take two layovers to get there, but it’s possible. The flight ticket costs from there aren’t as cheap as the other airports, but it is a very convenient airport. People can lounge around in massage chairs and fancy high-top desks as they watch the planes fly in and out of Fort Wayne.

Their amenities are very nice as they have spaces for children to play and sections to view different pieces of artwork. The airlines available are very common airlines fortunately and they are Delta Airlines, Allegiant Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines. They also serve the kids as they have designated play lounges for the children.

Room For Improvement

One annoying thing for new visitors is when an airport calls itself an international airport but mostly has domestic flights. This wasn’t always the case, however. In the 2000s, they used to serve international flights to Canada. The flights they have can be limited for some visitors looking to go to many different spots. They don’t have as many airlines as the Indianapolis Airport. The airlines they serve are Delta Airlines, Allegiant Airlines, American Airlines, and United Airlines.

South Bend International Airport

The South Bend International Airport is a commercial and freight airport located in South Bend, Indiana. It’s the state’s second busiest passenger traffic airport only behind Indianapolis International Airport. South Bend first opened as Bendix Municipal Airport in 1933. It had many different names until 2014 when they settled on the name of South Bend International Airport. South Bend was once called the “Michiana” airport, combining the names of Michigan and Indiana as the airport is very close to the Michigan/Indiana border.

Recently, South Bend International secured a multi-million dollar deal to expand the airport’s entrance to improve the drop-off and pick-up experiences. The renovations are predicted to start in summer 2024.

The Positives

Their staff is recognized as very friendly individuals. South Bend will host an annual family-based events for visitors and travelers to learn more about aviation. South Bend’s annual aviation education event grew five-fold compared to its 2022 event thanks to sponsorships from many different companies.

Like Fort Wayne International, they have the same airline carriers. Those are Allegiant Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines. Also like Fort Wayne, they have twelve non-stop flight destinations. They’re pretty similar, yet have some differences. South Bend’s direct flights are to:

• Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
• Phoenix, Arizona
• Mesa, Arizona
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Miami, Florida
• Detroit, Michigan
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Chicago, Illinois
• Las Vegas, Nevada
• Tampa, Florida
• Orlando, Florida
• Ft. Myers, Florida

South Bend is a small airport as it has one terminal and seven gates. Therefore, it’s easy to get around the airport. The check-in process is very smooth and TSA, when it can be, is a very efficient crew. Parking is very easy to find and easily available. South Bend International Airport is also next to the train, so people can take the train to their destinations after leaving the airport. Their amenities are very nice. They also have free Wi-Fi and it’s a clean airport.

South Bend has a popular cocktail bar where people can get some spirits, wine, and beer to pass the time from one flight to another. They can watch TV on seventy-five-inch flat-screen TVs while drinking and eating. Their food choices are pretty great as travelers can eat everything from seafood to buying candy from a popular local sweets spot in Indiana. After eating and drinking, guests can go to several gift shop stores to buy souvenirs and merchandise from local colleges and the sports teams there.

Room For Improvement

They don’t fly internationally but one can fly from there to other major airports in order to get to their international destination. However, they’re working on an agreement to expand their flight services to international destinations. The airport flight tickets are also pricey like the Fort Wayne International Airport.

The service at South Bend International Airport can be very hit or miss. Some passengers have complained of very poor management. The TSA isn’t the most pleasant some days. Another complaint from travelers is delayed flights or canceled flights.

Evansville Regional Airport

This southwestern Indiana airport is three miles north of Evansville, Indiana. It was built in 1928. It is an evergrowing airport. Since 2018, the number of their annual passengers has grown by seven percent. Evansville Regional is the fourth busiest airport in the state of Indiana only behind Fort Wayne International, South Bend International, and Indianapolis International Airport.

The Positives

This small airport boasts many nice amenities. Some of them are free Wi-Fi with specially designed chairs and tables that stand out from other airports. The Evansville Regional Airport has some food options. As far as the options go, there is a small sit-down bar with some pre-made sandwiches and salads and a couple of drink vending machines. There are electrical outlets everywhere including in most of the seats in case you need to charge your phone, computer, or any other electric device. Most of their food places are open before 6 a.m. which is great for early-going travelers.

They do have an efficient rental car process where one can check out and return their vehicles with little difficulty. Travelers can rent luxury cars like a Mercedes and popular cars like a Dodge Charger. For a small airport, it has two concourses and ten terminals to fly out of. People do see this as an airport to fly out of due to not having as much foot traffic as Chicago’s airport. They also have a nice kids zone that’s a reference to the Children’s Museum of Evansville.

Room For Improvement

Compared to the previous airports in this article, Evansville only has three airlines. Those three are Allegiant Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Airlines. Their flight options are limited to domestic and connecting flights. The only places to fly to from Evansville Regional Airport are Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Orlando. Chicago is the only direct flight that the airport gives. Parking also seems to be an issue at the airport as people have wished for improvements in that regard.

Summary of The Best Indiana Airports

Although there are many airports in the “Hoosier State”, there are only four commercial ones. These four airports are some of the most popular airports in the nation due to their fantastic customer service. Evansville is only in last place due to the lack of destinations they have. They only have one direct flight from their airport and that’s to Chicago, Illinois.

Before we get to why Indianapolis International is number one on this list, we must talk about the rankings of Fort Wayne International Airport and South Bend International Airport. Fort Wayne and South Bend International have the same amount of flight carriers and direct non-stop flights. The only differences with their direct non-stop flights are the places they take you to, and even that is mostly similar.

South Bend International Airport is higher on the ranking chart than Fort Wayne for a few reasons. South Bend is known to have better customer service than Fort Wayne. They also have more amenities at their airport compared to Fort Wayne. Both of these airports have twelve direct non-stop flights, which is more than Indianapolis International as that airport has eight direct non-stop flights. So why is the Indianapolis International Airport the best airport on this list?

Why Indianapolis International Airport Is The Best Airport?

Indianapolis International has cheaper tickets than the Fort Wayne and South Bend International airports. They have won the award of the “Best Airport In North America” for eleven years straight, so that should speak to the credibility of their amazing airport service. An airport like that must truly have a dedicated staff to help 8.6 million passengers annually.

Indianapolis International also has the most international destination trips out of the four airports on this list. They also provide the most airline carriers compared to Fort Wayne, Evansville, and South Bend. South Bend might be able to catch up to them in the next few years though with their ongoing expansions of the airport to create more terminals and expand its entrance. However, Indianapolis International easily takes the cake as the best airport in Indiana.