• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

The Best (and Worst) Airports Ranked by Free Wi-Fi Speeds

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 18, 2017, 10:55 AM ET

It’s not hard to find free Wi-Fi at a North American airport these days, but more often than not, it’s a sluggish affair.

Passengers at Denver International Airport don’t have any complaints, though. In fact, that facility has the fastest free airport Wi-Fi in the North America, according to a new study from Speedtest. The site, which allows users to test their own bandwidth speeds, says downloads at DEN have actually gotten 27% faster since January, making it the airport with the fastest WiFi in the world.

Vancouver International Airport came in second free Wi-Fi rankings, followed by Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle-Tacoma.

It is worth noting, though, that (with the exception of Denver) all of the airports listed showed speeds that were slightly slower than the national average of all Wi-Fi connections, including those in private homes.

Sign up: Click here to subscribe to the Broadsheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.

“Slightly slower” is still notably faster than many other North American airports, though. Hartsfield-Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport, ranked second to last in the study, with speeds that were just 5% that of a typical home Wi-Fi connection. New York’s three airports all came in at roughly a quarter of the average home speed.

Others that fell far short of the connection speed most people are used to included Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago’s O’Hare, and Las Vegas’ McCarran International.

The worst airport for Wi-Fi in North America, though? That dubious honor goes to Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, with speeds that are less than 4% of the average speed in Canada.

The takeaway? If you’ve got work to Atlanta, Montreal or Toronto (the third slowest city), make sure your laptop or tablet is plugged in. Otherwise, you’re facing some major battery drain.

About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

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

elon
CommentarySpaceX
The SpaceX IPO is great — but it won’t deliver 100x returns 
By Jeffrey StewartApril 1, 2026
6 hours ago
Macquarie bets impact investing can fill an Asian financial access gap for the ‘missing middle’
AsiaAustralia
Macquarie bets impact investing can fill an Asian financial access gap for the ‘missing middle’
By Nicholas GordonApril 1, 2026
8 hours ago
Trump at a podium
PoliticsIran
Trump will address the nation about the Iran war on Wednesday. Here’s what to expect
By Eva RoytburgApril 1, 2026
8 hours ago
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is displayed outside a Space Exploration Technologies Corp. facility in Hawthorne, California.
Startups & VentureElon Musk
SpaceX has filed confidentially for IPO ahead of AI rivals
By Bailey Lipschultz, Edward Ludlow and BloombergApril 1, 2026
8 hours ago
cancer
HealthCancer
Cancer’s grim calculus for the young: their insurance status can determine how long they survive
By Rhonda Winegar, Tara Martin, Zhaoli Liu and The ConversationApril 1, 2026
8 hours ago
AI ‘slop’ is flooding YouTube Kids—and more than 200 groups and experts are calling for a ban
CybersecurityYouTube
AI ‘slop’ is flooding YouTube Kids—and more than 200 groups and experts are calling for a ban
By Catherina GioinoApril 1, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

Jerome Powell says the $39 trillion national debt is ‘not unsustainable,’ but warns the trajectory ‘will not end well’
Economy
Jerome Powell says the $39 trillion national debt is ‘not unsustainable,’ but warns the trajectory ‘will not end well’
By Fortune EditorsMarch 30, 2026
2 days ago
Two-thirds of parents say their adult Gen Z kids still rely on them financially  for support—even though it's putting them under strain
Success
Two-thirds of parents say their adult Gen Z kids still rely on them financially  for support—even though it's putting them under strain
By Fortune EditorsMarch 31, 2026
2 days ago
A man used AI to call 3,000 Irish bartenders to track the cost of Guinness. Now pubs are lowering their prices to compete
AI
A man used AI to call 3,000 Irish bartenders to track the cost of Guinness. Now pubs are lowering their prices to compete
By Fortune EditorsMarch 30, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of gold as of April 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of April 1, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 1, 2026
16 hours ago
Current price of oil as of April 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 1, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 1, 2026
16 hours ago
Kevin O'Leary says if you earn $68,000 a year and follow this rule, you'll retire a millionaire
Personal Finance
Kevin O'Leary says if you earn $68,000 a year and follow this rule, you'll retire a millionaire
By Fortune EditorsMarch 31, 2026
2 days 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.