J.D. Power released its annual North American Airport Satisfaction Study, ranking the large airports across North America. Large airports are defined as those with 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year.
The study measured overall passenger satisfaction across seven core dimensions in order of importance:
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- Ease of travel through the airport
- Level of trust with the airport
- Terminal facilities
- Airport staff
- Departure/to airport experience
- Food, beverage and retail
- Arrival/from airport experience
The 2024 study is based on 26,290 completed surveys from U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport during the past 30 days. It covers both departure and arrival experiences (including connecting airports).
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The study was fielded from August 2023 through July 2024 and airports were measured based on a 1,000-point scale of overall customer satisfaction.
The best large airport: John Wayne Airport, Orange County
The John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, is the best large airport this year after coming in the No. 2 spot in 2023. It scored 687/1,000.
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The airport last held the No. 1 spot in 2017 and 2018. This year, it excelled in three of the study's core dimensions: ease of travel through the airport, arrival experience, and level of trust with the airport.
Michael Taylor, Sr. Managing Director of Travel, Hospitality, Retail and Customer Service at J.D. Power, tells CNBC Make It that the airport ranked highly because it's reasonably easy to get to.
"They are in Southern California, where there's a big car culture, people love to drive and parking at the airport is extraordinarily convenient," he says. "You're parking right next to the terminal in contrast to other airports in the area, for example, LAX."
Years ago the airport created a calmer environment by repainting its interior and reducing the number of screens, the number of announcements, and their volume to reduce visual and audio pollution, Taylor says.
"What people want during heavy traffic times is a sense of calmness. They want to get away from the maddening crowd and that's something the airport did several years ago to make it better," he adds.
The California airport was renamed in 1979 in honor of the actor John Wayne, who lived near Newport Beach and died that same year.
The John Wayne Airport, Orange County, currently serves about 11.7 million annual passengers, according to its website. The airport has flights to more than 40 non-stop destinations and is about 35 miles south of Los Angeles.
10 best large airports in North America for 2024
- John Wayne Airport, Orange County
- Tampa International Airport
- Kansas City International Airport
- Dallas Love Field
- Nashville International Airport
- William P. Hobby Airport
- Sacramento International Airport
- Portland International Airport
- Salt Lake City International Airport
- San Jose International Airport
After taking the No. 1 spot for two years in a row, the Tampa International Airport fell to No. 2 for 2024. It had a score of 685/1,000.
The airport had close to 24 million annual passengers in 2023, up 11.24% from 2022, according to its website.
Taylor says the Tampa International Airport has ranked highly over the years because of its great design, signage, and sense of identity.
"Everything you see is reflective of the Tampa Bay region. They do things we think most airports should be doing, which is having a real sense of local identity," he says. "You know you're in Tampa when you're in the airport. They have local food and beverages while also having a lot of national brands too."
The Florida airport services more than 90 nonstop destinations across multiple airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue and others.
In 2024, CN Traveler ranked the airport among the top 10 in America and in 2020, Airports Council International named it the best airport in North America for its size, according to the airport's website.
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