J.D. Power’s airport rankings are widely criticized for being arbitrary and not based on any real data. The company uses a number of factors, including the number of flights per day, whether or not there is a hotel nearby, and how many people use the airport to make their final destination
The international airports is a ranking that J.D. Power releases every year. This ranking ranks the top 100 airports in America based on customer satisfaction and perceived quality of service.
The J.D. Power Airports Ranking in the United States Is Completely False
on September 23, 2021 by Gary Leff
The biggest U.S. airports are outranked in the J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study. The outcomes are really strange. Miami is named the finest major airport in the United States, followed by none other than JFK Airport in New York. But, to understand why this is absurd, we must first consider what an airport is intended to do.
The aim of an airport is to assist you in getting there. As a result, the best airports are those that are the most efficient at doing so.
- They are simple to locate (close to where people are coming from and going, with convenient options)
- They are simple to understand (parking and rental car return near the terminal, security near the airport entrance, and gates near security, an efficient baggage system so that airlines that try to deliver bags quickly like Delta and Alaska may do so)
- They are simple to get into and out of for aircraft (no congested alleys, sufficient taxi and runway capacity)
Because the airport takes a share of revenues, high-end shopping helps pay for the airport (and often the airlines are, too). However, the retail experience isn’t all that makes an airport wonderful.
Airports should, as well.
- be clean
- provide enough food and sundries for tourists staying for a range of periods of time
- whether international connecting gateways offer good lounge and shower facilities
- provide adequate room surrounding the gates, as well as seats, power outlets, and wifi
According to the J.D. Power airports research, seven variables are considered, although only six are listed:
Here’s where J.D. comes in. The following is a list of ‘mega’ airports in terms of their power:
- Miami
- New York JFK
- St. Paul – Minneapolis
- Orlando
- Phoenix
- Las Vegas is a popular tourist destination.
- Fort Worth – Dallas
- Houston Intercontinental Airport is located in Houston, Texas.
- Detroit
- Charlotte and San Francisco are two cities in the United States (tie)
- Denver and Fort Lauderdale are two cities in Florida (tie)
- Newark and LAX are the two major airports in the United States (tie)
- Seattle
- Boston
- Toronto
- O’Hare International Airport in Chicago
Miami is a shambles. The terminals aren’t well-connected, and the treks are lengthy. Depending on where you begin, you may have to navigate an infinite series of moving walkways to reach a train that will take you to the rental vehicle facility, where you will need to take a shuttle bus to an off-airport rental business.
Miami Safety and Security
D60 Miami
Once on property, New York JFK is a nightmare to navigate. The terminals are in a bad state of repair. And no one has been able to determine whether the complex requires a ring road or a series of ducks and weaves throughout the years.
Dallas-Fort Worth is becoming a jumble of disparate experiences. The airport is convenient for Dallas residents since the entrance is close to security, and security is close to gates in most terminals. It’s much more difficult for connecting travelers, who must often use the airport rail. While the D terminal is modern and appealing, and the A terminal has been (mostly) rebuilt, the C terminal is a catastrophe, with appropriate investment being delayed due to the pandemic (and cheapened by American Airlines unwillingness to spend).
But what about the idea that LAX and Newark are superior than Seattle? Or that Charlotte, which is extremely congested and has hardly enough space to move its piers, is comparable to San Francisco is… strange.
Phoenix is dull, but it gets the job done. Even though terminals need trains and security may back up, Las Vegas is near to the downtown. Just pray for a quick exit and that your taxi driver doesn’t take you for a lengthy ride.
The J.D. Power rating of ‘large’ airports is as follows:
- New Orleans is a city in the United States.
- Tampa
- Raleigh-Durham
- Dallas Love Field is a baseball stadium in Dallas, Texas.
- Salt Lake City is a city in Utah.
- Nashville
- Austin
- San Diego is a city in California.
- San Antonio is a city in Texas.
- The National Mall in Washington, DC
- Portland
- Sacramento and Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. (tie)
- St. Louis is a city in Missouri.
- Midway Airports in Chicago and Kansas City
- Hobby Airport is located in Houston, Texas.
- Baltimore
- New York’s LaGuardia Airport
- Philadelphia
Although the new New Orleans terminal is appealing, you will regret hiring a vehicle since the twists and turns for shuttles to get to the rental facility will take as long as going to the airport from downtown.
Salt Lake City also boasts a new terminal, which can only be described as a success if your aim is to walk 10,000 steps in one sitting.
However, does the Philadelphia airport, nicknamed Filfthadelphia, deserve to be ranked last?
However, even before the enormous investment it has gotten in recent years, New York LaGuardia was widely criticized, owing to its closeness to Manhattan. How can JFK be at the top of the list of major airports while LaGuardia is at the bottom? In a heartbeat, I’d pick LaGuardia over JFK. Of course, it lacks significant public transportation and will continue to lack it despite a multibillion-dollar investment on a “rail to nowhere.”
Houston Hobby, The National Mall in Washington, DC, and Austin should all be higher on the list. Even the public transportation in National is fantastic! All of these airports are easily accessible and should be considered alongside Dallas Love Field.
National Historic Terminal of Washington, D.C.
Washington National
In the end, any research claiming that Miami and New York JFK are the finest U.S. airports is self-contradictory.
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