At the Airport, Passengers Say Smaller is Better
After reading the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, which said that overall satisfaction with airports rose slightly (about 2%) from 2008, I noticed that its 12,100 passengers surveyed rated medium (10 to 30 million passengers per year) and small (less than 10 million passengers) airports significantly higher than larger airports (more than 30 million passengers.) The large airport average was 665 out of 1,000 points, while medium was 683 and small was 721.
Why is that? Well, top-ranked Indianapolis International Airport, at 777 out of 1,000 points, is the highest-ranked airport in the study. It's also one of the smallest, with only two concourses, 11 airlines and a no-delay record. You could literally walk through the entire airport in about 20 minutes, and its $9 a day overnight parking (especially compared to Los Angeles International's $30 a day) is like a breath of fresh air.
What's not to like about like smaller airports with smaller lines, less people, less delays, lower prices, and less stress? Small airports are places where you can literally walk from your car, through security and reach your gate in 15 minutes. It turns out that Indianapolis also spent $1 billion on its year-old terminal which has all the new technological bells and whistles.
In the study, airports were ranked on accessibility, check-in, baggage claim, security, the terminal, and food and retail services.The lowest-ranked large airports were Newark Liberty International and Los Angeles International, at 609 and 616 points respectively. Having visited both, I can say both are filled with lines of cranky passengers, monstrous security, and baggage-claim areas that resemble a rugby match.
Some experts say Newark's low score reflects its poor design, while LAX also has limited expansion options. "They have been cursed with terminal designs that simply, for lack of space, have not been able to keep up with the growth of those airports," Jay Sorenson, president of IdeaWorks, a Wisconsin-based airline consulting firm told Bloomberg. "And security issues have pushed them over the top."
Among big airports, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County and Denver International ranked highest, at 705 and 701. The highest medium airport was Kansas City International, at 742 points, and the best of the small airports was Indianapolis International at 777 points. (The lowest-ranked medium airport was LaGuardia at 604 points, and the lowest-ranked small airport was San Jose (Calif.) International with 645 points.)
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