CNN
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Huge crowds and high prices haven’t stopped travelers from staying home. And many North American air travelers are still enjoying their time at airports, according to overall satisfaction scores from JD Power’s 2024 North America Airport Satisfaction Study.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is the most satisfactory airport in the “mega airport” category, which examines facilities that handle 33 million or more passengers annually, followed by Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
MSP has consistently been a top performer in this category, Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at JD Power, told CNN Travel. “Recently, the completion of internal and external projects has helped MSP tremendously,” Taylor said, adding that the Minnesota airport ranks high in the mega airport category on every dimension of the study.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul is currently working on a $242 million airport modernization program to redesign the Terminal 1 concourses.
The study evaluates three airport categories – mega airports, large airports and mid-sized airports – based on 26,290 traveler surveys conducted between August 2023 and July 2024. It examines seven core dimensions (in order of importance): airport travel convenience, airport trust level, terminal facilities, airport staff, departure experience (driving to the airport, grounds, parking, signage, baggage drop, etc.), food, drink and retail, and arrival experience (exiting the airport, baggage claim, transportation options, signage, etc.).
In the category of large airports with 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year, John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, leads this year, followed by Tampa International Airport and Kansas City International Airport. Among medium-sized airports, Indianapolis International Airport leads with 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year, followed by Jacksonville International Airport and Southwest Florida International Airport.
Of course, there are also airports that get poor marks when it comes to customer satisfaction. Newark Liberty International Airport, for example, ranks at the bottom of the mega-airport category in the study.
Airport traffic is putting a damper on Newark’s newest terminal, which Taylor said features “outstanding design” and “impressive” food and beverage offerings.
“But if you’re late for your flight because of traffic in New Jersey, you probably won’t have time to use EWR’s service,” Taylor said. “The Airtrain isn’t ready yet, and that makes access to the terminals difficult.”
In the category of large airports, Philadelphia International Airport ranks last.
“PHL’s design simply cannot accommodate the demand and congestion it experiences today,” Taylor said. “The departure gates in the older terminal are too small, ticket counters can be overloaded at peak times and the TSA needs more space to do its job. More investment is needed in the terminal’s redesign.” One bright spot? Food, beverage and retail, he said.
In the category of medium-sized airports, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport ranks last.
The study comes just after a summer of record-breaking air travel. On July 7, the Transportation Security Administration set a new daily record, screening more than 3 million people.
“The tremendous demand for air travel has not abated in North America, despite the ever-increasing costs of flights, ground transportation, hotel rooms and just about everything you can buy in an airport,” Taylor said in a press release announcing the study results.
“Most travelers still enjoy the experience,” Taylor said, but noted that rising costs may be pushing travelers to a point where they’re not spending as much in airports. Although food and drink prices in airports were long the lowest-rated feature in the study, that factor had no real impact on overall satisfaction. But that trend may be coming to an end.
Passengers spent an average of $3.53 less per person on food, beverages and other in-terminal purchases this year than in 2023. At major airports, passenger spending fell by an average of $6.31 – from $33.17 in 2023 to $26.86 now.
“Per capita spending on food, beverages and other airport activities is declining, but is being masked by the still high overall traffic volumes at airports,” Taylor said. “We may be at an inflection point in terms of continued demand for food, beverages and retail in the airport industry.”
Yet despite high passenger volumes and increased costs, a total of 60% of North American airport passengers said they “somewhat agree” or “strongly agree” that they enjoyed their time at their airport.
One of the things that sets many of the best-performing airports apart is their unique local identity, created through restaurants, shops, retail, decor and signage. The views from the airport can also enhance amenities in this area, Taylor said.
The leaders in terms of local color include: Albuquerque (ABQ), Anchorage (ANC), Austin (AUS), Kahului on Maui (OGG) and Las Vegas (LAS).
The five best airports in 2024 on a 1,000-point scale:
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) – 671
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) – 643
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – 633
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) – 628
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) – 623
The five worst results (in descending order) in the mega airport category for 2024 on a 1,000-point scale:
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) – 575
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) – 574
O’Hare International Airport, Chicago (ORD) – 569
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – 559
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) – 552
Since the study was redesigned for 2024, this year’s results for individual airports are not comparable with previous year’s studies.
