Toronto Pearson airport ranks a lowly 19th out of 20 in the newly released 2024 J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study, scoring a lowly 559 on a 1,000-point scale, and below the 595-point media. Pearson was listed in the study’s “mega” airport category, defined as facilities with 33 million or more passengers per year.
Canada’s other major airports were equally uninspiring (all of them in the “large” airports category with to 32.9 million passengers per year): Vancouver 15th; Calgary 22nd; and Montreal 26th.
There were no Canadian listings in the “medium” airport ranking (4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year).
“Huge air travel demand has not slowed down in North America, despite the steadily rising costs of flights, ground travel, hotel rooms and pretty much anything you can buy in an airport,” said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power. “Most travellers are still enjoying the experience.”
The North America Airport Satisfaction Study, now in its 19th year, was redesigned for 2024 (meaning that scores in this year’s study are not comparable year over year with previous-year studies). The study measures overall passenger satisfaction in the three size categories of North American airports by examining their experience across several core dimensions (in order of importance):
- Airport accessibility (getting to the airport/leaving the airport)
- Ease of travel through airport
- Level of trust with airport
- Terminal facilities (concourses, lounges, signage, restrooms, gate areas)
- airport staff
- Food, beverage and retail; and,
- Check-in/baggage check (as applicable)
- Security check
- Baggage claim (as applicable)
The 2024 study is based on 26,290 completed surveys from US or Canadian residents who travelled through at least one US or Canadian airport during the past 30 days between August, 2023 and July, 2024 and covers both departure and arrival experiences (including connecting airports). Passengers evaluated either a departing or arriving airport from their round-trip experience.
Study Rankings
- Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport ranks highest in passenger satisfaction among mega airports with a score of 671. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport(643) ranks second and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (633) ranks third.
- John Wayne Airport, Orange County ranks highest among large airports, with a score of 687. Tampa International Airport(685) ranks second and Kansas City International Airport (683) ranks third.
- Indianapolis International Airport ranks highest among medium airports for a third consecutive year, with a score of 687. Jacksonville International Airport (686) ranks second and Southwest Florida International Airport (675)ranks third.
Following are some key findings of the 2024 study:
- Airports successfully navigate record passenger volumes: Despite record numbers of passengers and widespread flight cancellations and delays, 60% of North American airport passengers say they “somewhat agree” or “strongly agree” they enjoyed spending time in their airport. Another 59% say they agree that their airport helped to alleviate the stress of travel.
- Rising costs may finally be reaching a breaking point: For many years, the single lowest-scoring attribute in the study has been reasonableness of food and beverage pricing –but it has not really affected passengers’ overall satisfaction. That trend may be ending, however. On average, passengers this year spent $3.53 p.p. less than they did in 2023 on food, beverage and other items in the terminal. The decline is greatest among large airports where passengers have reduced their spending by an average of $6.31.
- More airports delivering on unique, local identity: One of the key performance indicators separating top-performing airports from those that passengers merely tolerate is unique décor, signage, stores and restaurants that celebrate the region. Overall, 70% of passengers agree their airport reflects a genuine sense of its city or region.
- Crowding has significant effect on airport scores: The average overall satisfaction score when airport terminals are perceived as “not at all crowded” is 736 (on a 1,000-point scale). That score plummets to 429 when terminals are perceived to be “severely crowded.” However, just 5% of passengers say they experienced severely crowded conditions in 2024.
The full North America Airport Satisfaction Study can be found HERE.
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