AIRPORT REPORT CARD Vancouver is top of the class

Posted on 12/24/2015 | About Vancouver, British Columbia

Most people would probably agree that the worst part of air travel is the bit that takes place on the ground: The airport experience. Airlines have evolved in disparate directions over the last dozen years. Some like Emirates and Etihad have taken off to the heights of first class luxury while others like Ryanair and Spirit have anchored the basic ‘you don’t get what you don’t pay for’ model. During this same time the airport experience seems to have been static at best.

Well surprise, surprise, a recently released JD Power satisfaction survey of 21,009 North American travellers shows that airports are on an upward trend. In its first such poll since 2010, using a 1,000-point scale, results showed a 5.4% jump (more like a big hop really) in large airports and a 6.5% uptick in medium sized gateways. Hardly a tsunami of traveller delight you may think – but hey, a positive is a positive in an area generally the subject of rampant negativity. Some of the key satisfaction influencers were interesting in their contradictions. For instance, while the quality of retail concessions, bars and restaurants was ranked as important, some airports that have invested heavily in such things still managed to score badly overall: Newark Liberty International (EWR) New Jersey would be the prime example of this phenomenon. EWR has invested heavily in things like iPad-based gate area gadgetry but still came in last place among major airports with a score 18% lower than first place Portland, Oregon. As the place through which every trip must flow – or not – gate area satisfaction played a huge part in the ratings. Messy overcrowded boarding areas were a real rankings killer. On top of cleanliness, adequate seating and good PA systems, the new one to emerge as important is the availability of recharging outlets for ‘phones, tablets and laptops. Hostile passenger confrontations over the hogging of a single wall outlet have become a frequent and often amusing airport spectacle in recent years.

Check-in/baggage drop and collection and security lines can also make or break satisfaction levels. The difference between those who move through security in 10 minutes versus those taking up to 20, accounts for an astounding 12% swing in overall satisfaction. I must be using all the wrong airports, as 20 minutes is pretty darned good in my book! Not surprisingly, traveller age also plays a big part in the results. Younger travellers’ satisfaction generally trended higher, as did their average spending at the airport. Millennials and Gen Xers were found to drop an average of $21.50 compared to the Boomers and Pre-Boomers with a measly $8.50. If one makes the assumption that the former group is spending that extra loot on enjoying a drink at the bar - $21.50 might still get you two beers at some airports – then that could explain why satisfaction is higher than with the Boomers: Instead of having a beer they are complaining about the price of a coffee and donut as they search for a seat in the gate area. So how did Canadian airports fare? Vancouver International placed ninth among medium sized airports. Just why YVR was in the medium group is a mystery as it handled three million more passengers last year than Portland which topped the ‘large airport’ list. If therefore (sorry JD) one wedges YVR’s score into the ‘large’ category where it belongs, then it would have ranked very highly: Third overall behind only Portland and Tampa.

Making the same medium to large move would place Calgary 10th and Pierre Elliott Trudeau (aka Dorval) 24th – which still beat out JFK, Chicago O’Hare and LAX, with LaGuardia and Newark bringing up the sad sack rear. And what of Lester B. Pearson’s $4.4 billion gilded memorial in Mississauga? In 2003 the then head of the GTAA Louis Turpen prophesized, "In two or three years, when everybody is scrambling for infrastructure and passenger numbers are bouncing back, Toronto's going to be sitting in an ideal geographic position with the type of infrastructure and platform to provide unparalleled access to both North America and the world." Well Louis, it’s now 13 years later and while YYZ’s landing fees are certainly still unparalleled, JD Power’s poll placed it 19th. Placing between Miami and Washington Dulles, the marble palace that Lou built came in at precisely the North American average score.

That a lot of loonies for an average airport! HAPPY KWAHANUKKAMAS Or despite everything I said about the song… FELIZ NAVIDAD.