Portland International Airport fell to fifth place in an annual customer satisfaction survey after two years at the top.

J.D. Power, a market research company, said the PDX still scored 783 out of a possible 1,000 points in its survey of North American airports, enough to be rated among the best airports of its size.

But it was leapfrogged in its category this year by Nashville International Airport, Dallas Love Field, Tampa International Airport and John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, which topped the list with 796 points.

Michael Taylor, who led the survey for J.D. Power, said the Portland hadn't shown any particular signs of decline.

"I wouldn't say PDX has lost a step at all," Taylor said. "It's still one of the best airports with a fantastic layout and highly competent management."

A spokeswoman for the Portland airport congratulated its Orange County counterpart on taking the top spot.

"We've seen the rankings shift from year to year in the JD Powers study, and it remains an honor for us to find ourselves among the top in the nation in our category," Kama Simonds said in an email. "With more airports focusing on customer satisfaction the clear winner is the passenger."

Earlier this year, PDX was named best domestic airport by Travel and Leisure magazine for the fifth year in a row.

Among larger "mega airports" — those with 32 million or more passengers a year — J.D. Power ranked Orlando International Airport No. 1, followed by Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and McCarran International Airport serving Las Vegas.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus