Best airports? Las Vegas, Orlando and John Wayne are tops, says J.D. Power
Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY
U.S. passenger numbers are at record levels, but packed terminals aren’t preventing travelers from enjoying their time at U.S. airports.
Air travelers say they are the happiest they've been in years when flying through U.S. airports, according to J.D. Power’s 2018 North America Airport Satisfaction Study.
Overall traveler satisfaction climbed to a score of 761 on J.D. Power’s 1,000-point scale. That marked an all-time high for the survey, up 12 points from the previous record set just last year and up 30 points from 2016. J.D. Power conducted its first airport satisfaction survey for North American airports in 2000.
“North America airports have been doing a tremendous job managing passenger volume, adding amenities, and keeping travelers moving despite some noteworthy challenges,” Michael Taylor, Travel Practice Lead at J.D. Power, said in a statement accompanying the results.
Despite that, Taylor said airports “will be put to the true test over the next few years.”
“Several multi-billion-dollar airport construction projects – such as those in Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago – are reaching phases in which passenger disruption and increased traffic will be incredibly hard to avoid,” he said. “How well these rapidly expanding airports manage throughout these infrastructure projects will provide valuable insight into what’s in store on a nationwide basis.”
For now, however, the J.D. Power survey cited several areas where travelers gave high marks.
“Improvement is driven primarily by a 17-point increase in satisfaction with food, beverage and retail, and an 18-point increase in satisfaction with security check,” J.D. Power said in a description of its results.
Even the TSA played a roll, with J.D. Power citing “improved communication and cooperation between airport and TSA staff” for helping to keep security lines manageable at most airports.
J.D. Power’s annual airport survey measures travelers’ satisfaction with airports across North America on the following factors: accessibility, check-in and baggage check process, security screening, shopping, terminal facilities and baggage claim.
Which airports came out on top?
For the 2018 ratings, J.D. Power broke out airports by three categories: Mega, Large and Medium. “Mega” airports were defined as those handling more than 32.5 million annual passengers. The “Large” category included airports with 10 million to 32.4 million passengers while the “Medium” category looked at airports with between 3 million and 9.9 million passengers.
The airport with the highest overall rating in 2018 was California’s John Wayne Airport that serves Orange County. The airport, one of the secondary airports in the greater Los Angeles area, earned 815 points on J.D. Power’s 1,000-point scale, taking the No. 1 spot in the “Large” airport category. It also helped John Wayne edge out Buffalo/Niagara International Airport, which had the second-highest overall score (814) of all airports in the survey.
Among the USA’s biggest airports, Las Vegas McCarran forged a tie with 2017 champion Orlando International for the top spot in the "Mega" category. A 781 score for both Las Vegas and Orlando helped the two edge out third-place finisher Detroit.
At the other end of the spectrum, the worst North American airports were again found in the New York City metro area. New York’s LaGuardia Airport – undergoing a cumbersome-but-needed redevelopment – earned a score of 678, by far the lowest of all the airports in the survey. The second-lowest rating came on the other side of the metro area, where New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International netted a score of 701.
Scroll down for the full list of airports in the J.D. Power survey for 2018.
“Mega” airports
1. Las Vegas McCarran (LAS), 781 points
1. Orlando International (MCO), 781
3. Detroit (DTW), 775
4. Denver (DEN), 771
5. Dallas/Fort Wort Worth (DFW), 770
6. Atlanta (ATL), 769
6. Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH), 769
8. Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP), 767
9. Phoenix (PHX), 765
10. San Francisco (SFO), 763
11. Charlotte (CLT), 761
11. Toronto Pearson (YYZ), 761
Average for "Mega" airports: 758
13. Seattle-Tacoma (SEA), 756
14. New York JFK (JFK), 752
15. Miami (MIA), 750
16. Boston (BOS), 747
17. Chicago O'Hare (ORD), 735
17. Los Angeles (LAX), 735
19. Newark Liberty (EWR), 701
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