BOISE, Idaho — It's getting hard to keep track of the growing number of best-of lists that Boise is getting used to being near the top of as a "you gotta get here" city.
But if you gotta get out of here (temporarily, of course), a new ranking from the Travel Channel says you can't do much better than traveling out of, or into, the Boise Airport.
The Travel Channel released a list of the country’s top 10 most relaxing airports, based on an analysis from InsureMyTrip. The chosen airports had the fewest flight delays and cancellations during the December holiday season.
Coming in at No. 2, behind Salt Lake City International, was the Boise Airport.
The Travel Channel highlighted food, cocktails and art in the relaxing offerings at BOI, including fish and chips at Bardenay and taking in the work of local artists at the Art Source Gallery.
And the airport says it has the largest concentration of art in a public facility in Idaho.
The Travel Channel also makes note of getting through security being a "breeze" at the airport that sees nearly four million passengers travel through each year.
Several other Northwest airports also jetted into the top 10.
Portland International Airport (PDX) was named the fifth most-relaxing airport and offers travelers a unique artsy experience. It has a free rotating art exhibit, a free theater that features stories from the Pacific Northwest. Travelers can listen to live music played by volunteering musicians while walking through the terminals to their gates. Almost 20 million passengers went through PDX last year.
Washington state’s two largest commercial airports also made it on the list:
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) was the third most-relaxing airport. The airport is the ninth busiest airport in the U.S. 49.8 million passengers came through its doors in 2018. There are multiple airport lounges, popular live music, many restaurants and an area for kids to play while their family waits for their flight. A new terminal opened in 2018 to keep up with the airport’s fast growth.
Spokane International Airport (GEG) won the ninth spot on the Travel Channel’s list. The small, inland airport has free baggage carts for travelers. Passengers can even get their car washed for free if they park in the airport parking garage or outside lot. The airport is located right outside of the downtown area and served nearly four million passengers in 2018.
Here are the top 10 most relaxing airports in the U.S., according to the Travel Channel:
1. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
2. Boise Airport (BOI)
3. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
4. Kahului Airport (OGG)
5. Portland International Aiport (PDX)
6. Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
7. Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO)
8. John Wayne Airport (SNA, in Santa Ana, California)
9. Spokane International Airport (GEG)
10. Ontario International Airport (ONT, in Ontario, California)
