As air travel surges back to pre-pandemic levels, airports are serving record amounts of travelers but are still feeling the aftershock of pandemic-related issues, such as staff shortages and inflation. To assess how these factors have played into the overall air-travel experience, J.D. Power compiled the North America Airport Satisfaction Study, listing the airports North Americans are most satisfied with and why.
Findings: The study’s main findings show that overall satisfaction with North American airports fell 25 points to 777 in the last year, mostly citing overcrowding and flight cancelations.
- 58% of airport travelers reported that airports were severely to moderately crowded, compared to 59% in 2019.
- Inflation was another significant factor in the study this year, finding that 24% of air travelers did not purchase food or beverages in the airport due to high prices.
- Participants in the study said parking was increasingly harder to find this year, also noting that lot prices had increased within the last year.
Methodology: Ranking North American Airports on a 1,000-point scale, J.D. Power used data from over 26,000 completed surveys from U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one airport in either of the countries. The surveys were completed from August 2021 through July 2022.
The study ranks the airports based on six main factors, in order of importance: terminal facilities, airport arrival/departure, baggage claim, security check, check-in/baggage check, and food, beverage and retail.
Rankings: Based on findings from the J.D. Power North American Airport Satisfaction Study, here are the airports in the U.S. and Canada that air-travel customers are most satisfied with, along with their scores 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.