Air traveler satisfaction with North American airports reached an all-time high in 2021. This is because passenger volumes were still just a fraction of the historical norm. Now, as global passenger volume is back up to 91% of pre-pandemic levels. This coupled with labor shortages have caused a record number of flight cancellations, resulting in those sky-high satisfaction scores falling drastically. But not for Tampa International Airport. According to the J.D. Power 2022 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, TPA ranks highest in customer satisfaction among large airports.
Overall travel problems
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.
Key complaints in the study found that these are the problems travelers dread the most:
- Crowds back to pre-pandemic levels: Overall customer satisfaction with North American airports falls 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.
- 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. 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. 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.
Ranking the airports
The 2022 North America Airport Satisfaction Study 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
- Food, beverage and retail.
Related: Get Ready for Airside D at TPA
Mega airports are defined as those with 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports with 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year; and medium airports with 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year.
Here are the airport rankings:
Mega
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport ranks highest in passenger satisfaction among mega airports with a score of 800. San Francisco International Airport (796) ranks second while Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (791) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (791) each rank third in a tie.
Large
Tampa International Airport ranks highest among large airports with a score of 846. John Wayne Airport, Orange County (826) ranks second and Dallas Love Field (825) ranks third.
Medium
Indianapolis International Airport ranks highest among medium airports with a score of 842. Pittsburgh International Airport (839) ranks second while Jacksonville International Airport (826) and Southwest Florida International Airport (826) each rank third in a tie.
