Airports can be stressful, from getting to the right gate on time to trying to find reasonably priced snacks while you wait during flight delays. Some airports seem to make this process smoother than others.
According to a new report from J.D. Power, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago isn’t one of the North American airports ranking high in customer satisfaction. However, another Midwestern airport did take that title.
This year’s North America Airport Satisfaction Study – the 19th released by J.D. Power – was based on 26,290 completed surveys from U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport from August of last year through this July.
J.D. Power’s study press release noted that more than three million passengers passed through Transportation Safety Administration checkpoints at North American airports on July 7. That set a record for one-day passenger volume.
Survey participants ranked the airports based on seven core dimensions: ease of travel through airport; level of trust with airport; terminal facilities; airport staff; departure/to airport experience; food, beverage and retail; and arrival/from airport experience. Mega airports with 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports with 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year; and medium airports with 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year were included. Since the survey was redesigned this year, results aren’t comparable to previous years.
Here were the top 10 mega airports (on a 1,000-point scale):
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (671)
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (634)
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (633)
John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, N.Y.
(628)
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (623)
Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nev. (611)
San Francisco International Airport (611)
Orlando International Airport (596)
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (593)
Boston Logan International Airport (591)
Here were the 10 lowest ranked mega airports (on a 1,000-point scale):
Newark Liberty International Airport (552)
Toronto Pearson International Airport (559)
O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Ill. (569)
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (574)
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (575)
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (585)
George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas (586)
Los Angeles International Airport (588)
Denver International Airport (588)
Miami International Airport (591)
Earlier this year, AFAR magazine released a list of the 20 busiest airports in the U.S. Out of that list, eight made it on the low-ranking mega airports list: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Denver International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, O’Hare International Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Miami International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport.
On the other hand, 11 made it to the top 10 list. These were: Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport, Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport and Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport.
John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., ranked highest among large airports with a score of 687, while Tampa International Airport (685) ranked second and Kansas City International Airport (683) ranked third.
Indianapolis International Airport ranks highest among medium airports for its third year in a row with a score of 687, while Jacksonville International Airport (686) ranked second and Southwest Florida International Airport (675) ranked third.
“Huge air travel demand has not slowed down in North America, despite the steadily rising costs of flights, ground travel, hotel rooms and pretty much anything you can buy in an airport,” said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power. “Most travelers are still enjoying the experience. However, we are starting to see a breaking point in consumer spending, with average spend per person in the terminal declining significantly from a year ago.”