NORTH AMERICA. The J.D. Power 2022 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, released today (21 September), has revealed that overall air passenger satisfaction is down 25 points (on a 1,000-point scale) this year. It finds that travellers are encountering fewer flights, more crowded terminals and sparse food & beverage offerings.
Air passenger satisfaction with North American airports reached an all-time high last year when passenger volumes were still way down against the historical norm, according to J.D. Power’s 2021 survey. Now, as global passenger volume ticks back up to 91% of pre-pandemic levels[1] and labour shortages have caused a record number of flight cancellations[2], sky-high satisfaction scores have tumbled.
“The combination of pent-up demand for air travel, the nationwide labour shortage and steadily rising prices on everything from jet fuel to a bottle of water have created a scenario in which airports are extremely crowded and passengers are increasingly frustrated” – J.D. Power Travel Intelligence Lead Michael Taylor
Key study findings
Crowds back to pre-pandemic levels: Overall customer satisfaction with North American airports falls 25 points to 777 this year amid frequent flight cancellations and crowded terminals. More than half (58%) of airport travellers describe the airport terminal as severely or moderately crowded, nearly in line with 2019 when 59% of travellers said their airport was severely/moderately crowded.
Inflation hits the airport: Nearly a quarter (24%) of travellers 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, traveller satisfaction with the reasonableness of food & beverage pricing declines this year.
Parking trials: Some big declines in traveller satisfaction this year were due to airport parking issues, where a shortage of space has caused satisfaction with surface parking lots to decline 45 points from 2021. Meanwhile, 14% of travellers say parking was more expensive than they expected, up from 12% in 2021 and 11% in 2019.
Study methodology
Now in its 17th year, the study is based on 26,529 completed surveys from US or Canadian residents who travelled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport and covers both departure and arrival experiences (including connecting airports) within 30 days of completing the survey.
Travellers evaluated either a departing or arriving airport from their round-trip experience. The study was fielded from August 2021 through July 2022.
The 2022 North America Airport Satisfaction Study measures overall traveller satisfaction with mega, large and medium North American airports by examining six factors: terminal facilities; airport arrival/departure; baggage claim; security check; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage and retail.
Ranking tables
Reaction
Reflecting on the survey results, J.D. Power Travel Intelligence Lead Michael Taylor said: “The combination of pent-up demand for air travel, the nationwide labour shortage and steadily rising prices on everything from jet fuel to a bottle of water have created a scenario in which airports are extremely crowded and passengers are increasingly frustrated.
Taylor said this is likely to continue through 2023, and added: “In some ways, this is a return to normal as larger crowds at airports tend to make travellers 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.”
Sources
[1] IATA, July Passenger Demand Remains Strong, Sept. 7, 2022 https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2022-releases/2022-09-07-02/
[2] Transportation Department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics
