J.D. Power Ranks Best and Worst Airports

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

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J.D. Power and Associates released its ranking of the best and worst airports in North America, and overall, the evaluation was generally negative. According to J.D. Power, “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.”

That said, the 2010 results are an improvement over last year: “Overall passenger satisfaction with the airport experience averages 690 on a 1,000-point scale in 2010, which is an improvement from 675 in 2008. However, satisfaction with airports in 2010 is considerably lower than satisfaction with hotels (756, on average) and rental cars (733, on average).”

But enough about that—you want to see who came out on top, right? Fair enough. Here’s J.D. Power’s methodology: “Six factors—assessed through 27 specific attributes—are examined to determine overall customer satisfaction: airport accessibility; baggage claim; check-in/baggage check process; terminal facilities; security check; and food and retail services.” The airports are grouped based on size, into large (30+ million passengers), medium (between 10 and 30 million), and small (fewer than 10 million) categories.

Large:

Best: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
Worst: Newark International (EWR)

Medium:

Best: Kansas City International (MCI)
Worst: LaGuardia International (LGA)

Small:

Best: Indianapolis International (IND)
Worst: San Jose International (SJC)

For the full rankings, click here.

What do you think about J.D. Power’s assessment of our nation’s airports? Fair? Harsh? How did your local airport stack up?

Charlotte Douglas International – CLT

Chicago O’Hare International – ORD

Dallas/Ft. Worth International – DFW

Denver International – DEN

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County – DTW
Award Recipient

George Bush Intercontinental/ Houston – IAH

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