Top Five Origin/Destination Airports (Domestic Edition)

1. Washington-Reagan National
With a metro station literally out the front door and across the street, Reagan National Airport is one of the most accessible airports in the country. With separate concourses for different airlines, security lines are usually under control. The airport is also capacity-controlled, which keeps fair-weather delays to a minimum. Normally, when Congress is in charge of something, it gets royally screwed up. The exception is when members of Congress actually need to use it, and then, it runs like clockwork.

2. Kansas City
We featured Kansas City as one of our most bizarre airports, thanks to its unique circular layout. Ticket counters, baggage claims, and even the gates are a mere stone's throw from the airport roadway, which means that you can be dropped off at the curb in reach your gate in something like thirty steps. Each set of two or three gates has its own security checkpoint which minimizes lines. Disembarking, it's the same deal: off your plane, jog to the left to grab your bag (which comes quickly since the baggage ramp is right near the plane), and out the door to your ride.

3. Portland, Ore.
Portland's airport is large enough to have service by all major airlines to multiple destinations but is small enough to avoid the long lines and airspace congestion that befalls major hubs. The terminal has an H-shape with the ticket counters located in the crossbar of the H and the security checkpoints at either side of the crossbar. The security checkpoints include plenty of lanes which allow the airport to quickly process passengers during peak travel periods. Getting to and from the airport is easy -- the drive from downtown Portland is maybe 10 minutes long and there is a light rail station within walking distance of the terminal with a direct ride into the city.

4. Manchester-Boston
While Boston's Logan Airport gets an unfair bad rap for being difficult to arrive at and navigate, there's no denying that Manchester is a piece of cake by comparison. I can check in, clear security, and be at my gate within five minutes of walking in the front door. I've also found Manchester's TSA personnel to be the friendliest in the country. Parking is plentiful and reasonably-priced. For those without a car, you can ride a free (!) shuttle from an Orange Line station in Boston. Most major airlines are here, along with Southwest, so you can get just about anywhere in the country starting from Manchester.

5. Orange County-John Wayne, Long Beach, Los Angeles/Ontario, and Burbank-Bob Hope
All of these airports make the list simply because they're not LAX. They're all straightforward airports with one or two terminals (as opposed to nine at LAX) that are generally aesthetically pleasing (as opposed to LAX's warehouses). Sure, they might not all be accessible to public transit, but then again, nothing in Southern California really is. Whereas you need to arrive at LAX up to two hours beforehand to ensure sufficient time to make it through the notoriously unpredictable and potentially monsterous security lines, getting to your gate at any of Los Angeles' alternate airports is a reliably prompt process. While not all airlines are at all airports in the Los Angeles metropolis, you nonetheless have plenty of options that don't include fighting traffic on the 405 en route to the monstrosity that is LAX.