• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechInternet of Things

These U.S. Airports Have the Worst Mobile Phone Connectivity

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 21, 2016, 11:08 AM ET
National Landmarks Illuminated Across U.S. To Shine Light On Ebola Crisis And Show Solidarity With West Africa
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 23: Los Angeles International Airport is seen during National Landmarks Illuminated Across U.S. To Shine Light On Ebola Crisis And Show Solidarity With West Africa at Los Angeles International Airport on March 23, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for #TackleEbola)Jason Kempin/ Getty Images for #TackleEbola

Trying to download the new Frank Ocean album onto your iPhone before you have to board your flight and turn on the dreaded airplane mode? Better hope you’re not in Los Angeles, Miami, or Austin, Texas.

Those three airports have the worst mobile connectivity among the 50 busiest U.S. airports, according to testing by Rootmetrics.

LA’s Los Angeles International Airport, known by its moniker LAX, was deemed worst of all with slow phone download speeds and iffy reliability. While data download speeds hit more than 40 megabits per second at top-ranked airports, none of the big four wireless carriers—Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile or Sprint—reached even three megabits per second at LAX.

“Despite being the second-busiest airport in the country, mobile network performance at Los Angeles International has often struggled,” Rootmetrics noted in its report. “These findings were almost identical to what we found in the second half of 2015, suggesting carriers are still facing challenges in attempts at delivering good coverage at LAX.”

Downloading a typical 45-minute, high-definition TV episode onto a smartphone would take almost half an hour at LAX, compared with two minutes at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which ranked sixth overall and is the busiest in the country.

At the top of the charts, phones at Metropolitan Oakland International recorded download speeds as high as 91 megabits per second for a Verizon (VZ) phone. Download speeds averaged almost 63 Mbps across all four carriers. General Mitchell International in Milwaukee, Wis., ranked second overall and Southwest Florida International in Fort Myers ranked third. But all three of those airports serve a relatively paltry number of passengers.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The busiest airports in the country after LAX and Atlanta are Chicago O’Hare International, Dallas-Fort Worth International, and John F. Kennedy International in New York City. Among those three, O’Hare ranked 14th in the Rootmetrics tests, Dallas ranked 25th, and JFK ranked 29th. Rootmetrics also posted the entire top 50 list.

Among the carriers, AT&T (T) and Verizon were rated “excellent” for getting connected at all 50 airports. T-Mobile (TMUS) achieved that rating at 42 airports, and Sprint (S) at 40.

Rootmetrics said it visited each of the top 50 airports twice a year. It tested download speeds on all four major wireless networks and at locations around the facilities including ticketing, baggage claim, and within terminals.

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Khosla gestures with both hands
AIElections
Billionaire OpenAI investor Vinod Khosla thinks 80% of jobs could vanish by 2030, and that ‘fear of AI’ put American politics in a chokehold
By Jacqueline MunisMarch 24, 2026
1 hour ago
Aravind Srinivas, wearing a white sweater, lifts both of his arms in front of him.
Future of WorkLabor
Perplexity CEO says AI layoffs aren’t so bad because people hate their jobs anyways: ‘That sort of glorious future is what we should look forward to’
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 24, 2026
3 hours ago
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink
EconomyInequality
Billionaire Larry Fink says you’re wrong to think that AI stealing your job is the big problem—it’s really about what it’s doing for his class
By Tristan BoveMarch 24, 2026
3 hours ago
boardroom
AIJobs
CFOs admit privately that AI layoffs will be 9x higher this year—and still a fraction of ‘doomsday’ predictions
By Jake AngeloMarch 24, 2026
3 hours ago
Alex Karp
SuccessCareers
Palantir’s billionaire CEO says only two kinds of people will succeed in the AI era: trade workers — ‘or you’re neurodivergent’
By Preston ForeMarch 24, 2026
4 hours ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
The rise and uncertain future of $29 billion AI coding startup Cursor
By Allie GarfinkleMarch 24, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

Commentary
The Treasury just declared the U.S. insolvent. The media missed it
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
1 day ago
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 23, 2026
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
1 day ago
Economy
It took 200 years for national debt to hit $1 trillion. Annual interest alone now exceeds that—a 'crushing legacy we must reverse,' says budget chair
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
1 day ago
Economy
Larry Fink says today's economic anxiety stems from people increasingly feeling like capitalism isn't working for them
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
1 day ago
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of March 23, 2026
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
1 day ago
Health
Trump has TACO'd again, this time in Iran, sparking a $1.7 trillion stock market rally in minutes, even as peace talks are in question
By Fortune EditorsMarch 23, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.