Reid International was grouped in the “Mega Airports” category meaning it has 33 million or more passengers per year. For the first six months of 2022 almost 20 million passengers passed through the airport and in 2019 (pre-pandemic) there were nearly 52 million passengers.
According to the Study, overall satisfaction is down 25 points (on a 1,000-point scale) this year as travelers encounter fewer flights, more crowded terminals, and sparse food and beverage offerings
Topping the list of mega airports was the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.
“The combination of pent-up demand for air travel, the nationwide labor shortage, and steadily rising prices on everything from jet fuel to a bottle of water has created a scenario in which airports are extremely crowded and passengers are increasingly frustrated—and it is likely to continue through 2023,” said Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power. “In some ways, this is a return to normal as larger crowds at airports tend to make travelers more frazzled, but in cases where parking lots are over capacity, gates are standing room only and restaurants and bars are not even open to offer some reprieve, it is clear that increased capacity in airports can’t come soon enough.”
J.D. Power highlighted the following three key findings in the story:
- Crowds back to pre-pandemic levels: Overall customer satisfaction with North American airports falls 25 points to 777 this year amid rampant flight cancellations and crowded terminals. More than half (58%) of airport travelers describe the airport terminal as severely or moderately crowded, nearly in line with 2019 when 59% of travelers said their airport was severely/moderately crowded.
- Inflation hits the airport: Nearly one-fourth (24%) of travelers say they did not make any food or beverage purchases at the airport because they were too expensive. That’s up from 20% in 2021 and 23% in 2019. Similarly, traveler satisfaction with the reasonableness of food and beverage pricing declines this year.
- Nowhere to park: Some big declines in traveler satisfaction this year are found in the parking lot, where a shortage of space has caused satisfaction with surface parking lots to decline 45 points from 2021. Meanwhile, 14% of travelers say parking was more expensive than they expected, up from 12% in 2021 and 11% in 2019.
2022 North America Airport Satisfaction Study
Based on a 1,000-point scale
- Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport – 800
- San Francisco International Airport – 796
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport – 791
- John F. Kennedy International Airport – 791
- Harry Reid International Airport – 790
- Orlando International Airport – 786
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – 782
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport – 778
- Miami International Airport – 770
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport – 768
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport – 765
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport – 764
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport – 764
- Denver International Airport – 759
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport – 758
- Toronto Pearson International Airport – 755
- Boston Logan International Airport – 754
- Los Angeles International Airport – 753
- O’Hare International Airport – 751
- Newark Liberty International Airport – 719
J.D. Power said it measures overall traveler satisfaction with mega, large, and medium North American airports by examining six factors (in order of importance): terminal facilities; airport arrival/departure; baggage claim; security check; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage and retail.
