Reveals which major airports across the globe offer the best dining experience to those in transit.
NEW YORK, N.Y – Traveling can be a tiring experience, yet there is no respite from being in transit quite like a delicious meal. RewardExpert – a free service that helps users take full advantage of credit card and travel rewards – released the findings of its RewardExpert 2018 International Dining Scorecard; a data-driven report ranking the 15 most trafficked airports outside of the United States based on their dining options.
“In 2017, we analyzed food options available to travelers in domestic airports in our RewardExpert 2017 Airport Dining Scorecard,” says Roman Shteyn, RewardExpert CEO and co-founder. “This year we widened the lens by analyzing thousands of reviews, menus and pricing data from the busiest hubs outside of the United States to determine the best international airports in terms of overall restaurant quality, price and variety to help travelers find culinary refuge from their long layovers overseas.”
Key findings from the RewardExpert 2018 International Dining Scorecard include:
- Japan’s Narita International Airport is the undisputed restaurant champion. Number one in the rankings for both taste and price, this Tokyo transportation hub is a great place to have a bite to eat. The diversity in options is middle of the pack, but the airport is chock full of Japanese varieties, like sushi, udon and onigiri.
- The Asian airports on this list performed highly, and are typically most well-rounded, airports for top dining experiences. Four of the top five airports on our ranking are located in Asia. These locales tend to be supported by their solid quality and low price.
- On the opposite end of the spectrum, the European airports tend to be pretty undesirable spots to nosh in during a layover. Four of the bottom five airports on the rankings are European due to a general lack in quality, price and cuisine choice.
- Italy’s Leonardo Da Vinci-Fuimicino Airport takes last place in the ranking by its low diversity in choice, but it’s a hell of a place to get a nice Italian meal. Where this airport gets dinged for quality is in the areas outside of Italian cuisine. For those looking to get a burger, maybe save it. If pasta or pizza is the goal, go wild here.
The top three airports ranked in the report are:
- Narita International Airport
- Taoyuan International Airport
- Hong Kong International Airport
The bottom three airports are:
- Leonardo Da Vinci-Fuimicino Airport
- Barcelona-El Prat Airport
- Charles De Gaulle Airport
“International travel can be a hassle. Long lines at customs, serious cases of jet lag, and tens of hours in the air followed by a lengthy wait at gate for your connection can suck the joy out of even the most long-awaited overseas trip,” says Shteyn. “Having an exciting culinary experience can turn a long, tedious layover from a time suck to an unexpected travel adventure.”
The final rankings were determined using three indicators: quality, price and cuisine diversity. Quality rankings were determined with a weighted average of Yelp and TripAdvisor scores for each airport’s restaurants and cross-checked with Zagat and JD Power rankings. Price scores were calculated using Yelp pricing data. Cuisine diversity was evaluated using the primary cuisine categories noted in Yelp Reviews and the individual airport’s restaurants listing in their directories.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
