Salt Lake City International Airport ranks among North America's best

• Best airport by departures (25 million to 40 million passengers per year), along with LaGuardia Airport.
• Cleanest airport, alongside Gerald R. Ford International Airport and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport.
• Most enjoyable airport, along with Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport and Orlando International Airport.

How it works: The awards are handed out annually by the Airports Council International based on on-site passenger surveys and year-round data collection.

• Airports are benchmarked by size, region and category.

What we're watching: The Salt Lake airport is in the thick of a $5 billion remodel, with the project expected to be completed this year.

💭 My thought bubble: A chaotic trip through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport last week came with gate changes, a plane swap, a four-hour delay, dead outlets, an emergency alarm, and unusually warm conditions.

• The ordeal gave me a newfound appreciation for our airport.