Indy airport tops new list
With a billion dollars worth of improvements, Indianapolis International Airport came out at the top of the list of 64 major airports in the US, according to a survey of passengers and visitor satisfaction by J. D. Powers and Associates.
"We found that Indianapolis ranked highest in both the small category of airports with fewer than 10 million passengers a year and also highest overall in the entire study. And that’s up from a tie for 13th in the previous study two years ago," said Stuart Greif, vice president and general manager of global hospitality for J.D. Power.
He added:
"There have been advances in technology that have revolutionized air travel during the past decade," he said. "However, passenger satisfaction with airports continues to lag behind that of other aspects of the travel industry, largely because passenger expectations of basic needs — such as prompt baggage delivery, airport comfort and ease of navigating the airport — are not being met consistently.”
Using a point basis, J.D. Power rated Kansas City International with 742 points to lead the medium size group with fewer than 30 million passengers. And Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport had 705 points atop the large airport category with more than 30 million passengers.
Indianapolis was either first or second in each of the six key areas measured for customer satisfaction, he said.
Areas of greatest impact include an airport’s accessibility, baggage claim area, check-in and baggage check-in process, terminal facilities, ease of security checks and food and retail services.
The study also found that happy travelers tend to spend more money in airport terminals.
Passengers who were disappointed with their airport experience spent an average USD$14.12 on food and retail shops, while those who were delighted spent USD$20.55.
By David Wilkening
David
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