See where Charlotte, Raleigh airports rank in new JD Power list on customer satisfaction
Charlotte Douglas International Airport was ranked in the middle of the pack among North American airports for pleasing customers, according to a new survey by J.D. Power.
The consumer insight company ranked CLT 12th out of 20 in the “mega airport” category based on responses from customers for its 2023 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, released Wednesday. That’s a decrease from the 2022’s ranking where Charlotte Douglas came in 10th.
Officials from Charlotte Douglas declined to comment about the latest rankings.
Mega airports in the survey have 33 million or more passengers per year. This year, Detroit’s airport had the top ranking in that category.
Meanwhile, Raleigh-Durham International Airport, which is about a 2 1/2-hour drive from Charlotte, was fifth in the “large” airport category (10 million to 32.9 million passengers each year) for both last year and this year. Tampa International Airport in Florida came in first in that category.
J.D. Power used six factors in its study (in order of importance): terminal facilities; airport arrival/departure; baggage claim; security check; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage and retail.
About CLT Airport
Charlotte has one of the world’s busiest airports and is the second largest hub for American Airlines in the U.S. Last year, it had more than 47 million passengers.
CLT also is one of the largest employers in the region, with more than 20,000 workers providing service at the airport and for its business partners.
Improvements are continuing at Charlotte’s airport.
A groundbreaking was held in June for the fourth parallel runway. That’s the last part of Destination CLT, a $3.1 billion 10-year capital project.
Other improvements include expansions for the lobby and Concourse A, and a roadway canopy, which will be completed next year. An eight-lane roadway is operational and the expansion of Concourse E opened in 2021.
About the JD Power survey
J.D. Power used 27,147 surveys from U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport for arrivals and departures during the past 30 days. The study was held from August 2022 through July 2023.
Based on a 1,000 point scale, Charlotte Douglas got 772 points — one less than what New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport received for 11th place. At the top of the list, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport was first with 800 points.
J.D. Power reported that overall customer satisfaction increased by three points to 780, despite record passenger volume, crowded terminals and a barrage of delays and cancellations.
Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power, said in the report that this hasn’t been an easy year for North American airports because of a crush of passengers, but investments such as getting food places back helped.
“While airports are doing a good job coping with the current issues, there is still more they could do to improve passenger experience while also improving their own bottom lines,” he said in the report.
This story was originally published September 20, 2023 at 12:00 AM.
