The websites of the Port Authority’s four commercial airports have won the 2026 Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) award for best websites among airports in the United States and Canada.
The industry honor acknowledges the work of airport communications staff to improve the customer experience for the traveling public. The best airport website category included 20 airports assessed by Airports Council International-North America to measure the effectiveness of airport communications in enhancing the passenger experience. Nearly 500 entries were submitted for review across all 20 categories, ACI-NA announced for October.
ACI-NA’s industry-best website award recognizes outstanding websites in terms of design, communications, accessibility, and navigation. The award for the Port Authority comes just months after the Port Authority launched new websites for its four commercial airports: John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia, and New York Stewart International airports.
Each website was entirely redesigned to prioritize the user experience, with customized designs based on customer feedback, industry best practices and usage analytics from each airport’s previous website. The websites feature a more intuitive and simplified design to help travelers unfamiliar with the airports easily find real-time travel information, security and customs wait times, parking availability, airport amenities and customizable lists of concessions.
The websites also are among the first airport websites in the nation to feature purpose-built AI assistants developed and trained by Port Authority staff. Each AI assistant embedded in the specific airport’s website is unique to that airport and provides information for that airport alone.
“The Excellence in Airport Marketing, Communications, and Customer Experience Awards celebrate the people who shape how passengers experience their airports every day,” said ACI-NA President and CEO Chris Rocheleau. “With a record-breaking number of entries this year, the creativity and talent across North America’s airports are truly impressive.”
The AI was trained by Port Authority staff knowledgeable about each airport’s operations and is built on a knowledge base developed and maintained by subject matter experts. The assistants continuously pull operational data such as flight information and wait times; and draw information from verified sources, including the Port Authority corporate website; from federal agency websites that provide essential operational support at the airports such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the CLEAR travel assistance program; and concessions information.
Other new features of the new websites include live departure times for AirTrain JFK on the website for John F. Kennedy International Airport.
For the larger airports, the airport websites have airport experience planners that provide details about airport amenities by offering customized recommendations such as guidance through an accessible journey if the user includes information on the type of special mobility assistance required, or by making suggestions on family-friendly spaces for a user who specifies they are traveling through an airport with young children.