Got complaints about CLT airport? See how it ranked in new passenger satisfaction survey
Going through the Charlotte airport these days is more than a bit unenjoyable, according to a recent passenger satisfaction survey of airports in North America.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport earned a below-average ranking in J.D. Power’s 2024 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, which was released Wednesday.
With a score of 585 points out of 1,000, CLT ranked 15th among the 20 airports in the “mega” category. J.D. defines mega airports as facilities seeing more than 33 million passengers per year.
Charlotte’s airport served 53.4 million passengers last year — an 11.9% increase from 2022, according to the Airports Council International-North America.
The average score in the J.D. Power survey was 595 points.
Airport satisfaction comparisons
In the mega category, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport topped the ranking, scoring 671 points. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport came in second and third, respectively with scores of 643 and 633.
Airports that ranked below CLT include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport with a score of 574 and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, which ranked last scoring 552 points.
As far as other North Carolina airports surveyed, Raleigh-Durham International Airport ranked above average in the large airport category.
About the J.D. Power survey
J.D. Power changed its measurements for this year’s study, its 19th annual look at satisfaction. So, previous studies aren’t comparable to this year.
J.D. examined seven factors: ease of travel through airport; level of trust with airport; terminal facilities; airport staff; departure/to airport experience; food, beverage and retail; and arrival/from airport experience.
It received 26,290 completed surveys from U.S. and Canadian residents who traveled through at least one North American airport. The study took place from August 2023 through July 2024.
Overall, the study found that while passenger count has increased and flight cancellations and delays are high, about 60% of passengers said they somewhat or strongly agreed that they enjoyed spending time at the airport.
However, the study showed that crowding did affect scores.
Airports scored high on satisfaction if a terminal was perceived as “not at all crowded.” Facilities scored really low if passengers felt that terminals were “severely crowded.” But only 5% of passengers said they experienced severely crowded spaces.
Why the low ranking for CLT?
Charlotte Douglas officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest ranking but long lines at security checkpoints and continuous airport construction have been ongoing concerns for passengers.
As construction projects come to a close, passengers may start to find Charlotte Douglas more enjoyable.
All of the construction is part of the airport’s “Destination CLT,” a $4 billion plan to improve services and operations for visitors through expansion and renovation.
And some of those plans have been completed.
Phase II of the Concourse A Expansion opened last week, which added 10 new gates to the facility mostly occupied by Delta Air Lines. Two new sky bridges connecting the hourly parking deck and the terminal opened in late July, alleviating some traffic concerns.
Other plans include additional gates for concourses C and B, a fourth parallel runway that accommodate the airport’s increasing flight traffic and the South Ramp Expansion to reduce aircraft congestion.
