CNN
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Large crowds and excessive costs haven’t stored vacationers at house. And plenty of North American air vacationers are nonetheless having fun with their time at airports, in keeping with the general satisfaction scores within the 2024 North America Airport Satisfaction Examine from J.D. Energy.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul Worldwide Airport is probably the most satisfying airport within the research’s “mega-airport” class, which appears at amenities serving 33 million or extra passengers per 12 months. It’s adopted by Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport.
MSP has constantly been a high performer within the class, Michael Taylor, managing director of journey, hospitality and retail at J.D. Energy, instructed CNN Journey. “Recently, the completion of inside and exterior initiatives has helped MSP dramatically,” Taylor stated, including that the Minnesota airport scores on the high of each dimension within the research within the mega-airport class.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul is presently engaged on a $242 million Airport Modernization Program making over its Terminal 1 concourses.
The research evaluates three airport classes — mega-airports, massive airports and medium-sized airports — primarily based on 26,290 traveler surveys collected from August 2023 via July 2024. It appears at seven core dimensions (listed so as of significance): ease of journey via the airport; degree of belief with the airport; terminal amenities; airport workers; departure expertise (journey to airport, grounds, parking, signage, baggage dropoff, and so forth.); meals, beverage and retail; and arrival expertise (exiting the airport, baggage declare, transportation location, signage, and so forth.).
Within the massive airport class, with 10 to 32.9 million passengers per 12 months, John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, is that this 12 months’s high scorer, adopted by Tampa Worldwide Airport and Kansas Metropolis Worldwide Airport. Indianapolis Worldwide Airport ranks highest amongst medium airports with 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per 12 months, adopted by Jacksonville Worldwide Airport and Southwest Florida Worldwide Airport.
In fact, there are some airports that earn poor marks for buyer satisfaction. Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport ranks on the backside of the research’s mega-airport class.
Site visitors moving into the airport has put a damper on Newark’s latest terminal, which Taylor stated has “excellent design” and “spectacular” meals and beverage choices.
“But when New Jersey site visitors makes you late to your flight, you’re not more likely to have time to take pleasure in what EWR gives,” Taylor stated. “The Airtrain isn’t full and that makes accessing the terminals tough.”
Within the massive airport class, Philadelphia Worldwide Airport ranks lowest.
“PHL’s design merely can’t deal with the demand and crowding it experiences at this time,” Taylor stated. “Departure gates within the older terminal are too small, ticketing lobbies may be overwhelmed at peak instances and TSA wants extra room to do the job they should do. Extra funding in terminal re-design is required.” A vivid spot? Meals, beverage and retail, he stated.
Within the medium-size class, Cleveland Hopkins Worldwide Airport ranks lowest.
The research comes on the heels of a record-setting summer season for air journey. On July 7, the Transportation Safety Administration reached a single-day file, screening more than 3 million people.
“Large air journey demand has not slowed down in North America, regardless of the steadily rising prices of flights, floor journey, lodge rooms and just about something you should buy in an airport,” Taylor stated in a information launch saying the research outcomes.
“Most vacationers are nonetheless having fun with the expertise,” Taylor stated, though he famous that rising prices could lastly be bringing vacationers to a breaking level when it comes to their spending in airports. Whereas meals and beverage costs in airports have lengthy been the lowest-scoring attribute within the research, that issue had probably not impacted total satisfaction. However that pattern could also be ending.
Passengers this 12 months, on common, spent $3.53 much less per person who they did in 2023 on meals, drinks and different in-terminal purchases. In massive airports, passenger spending is down by a median of $6.31 — from $33.17 in 2023 to $26.86 now.
“Per individual spending on meals, beverage, and different airport actions is declining however is disguised by the still-high total site visitors on the airports,” Taylor stated. “We could be at an inflection level on continued demand for meals, beverage and retail within the airport trade.”
But total, regardless of excessive passenger quantity and elevated prices, 60% of North American airport passengers stated they “considerably agree” or “strongly agree” that they loved spending time of their airport.
One of many issues that helps set most of the top-performing airports aside is a novel, native identification. That’s established via eating places, shops, retail, décor and signage. Views from the airport also can bolster amenities on this space, Taylor stated.
Among the many high performers for that native taste: Albuquerque (ABQ), Anchorage (ANC), Austin (AUS), Kahului on Maui (OGG) and Las Vegas (LAS).
Prime 5 scorers within the mega-airport class for 2024, on a 1,000-point scale:
Minneapolis-Saint Paul Worldwide Airport (MSP) – 671
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) – 643
Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport (PHX) – 633
John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) – 628
Dallas/Fort Price Worldwide Airport (DFW) – 623
Backside 5 scorers (in descending order) within the mega-airport class for 2024, on a 1,000-point scale:
Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) – 575
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) – 574
O’Hare Worldwide Airport, Chicago (ORD) – 569
Toronto Pearson Worldwide Airport (YYZ) – 559
Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport (EWR) – 552
The research was redesigned for 2024 so this 12 months’s scores for particular person airports will not be comparable year-over-year with previous-year research.