Five-out-of-six major Canadian airports fell below North American satisfaction average

Hilary Punchard, BNN Bloomberg

It’s critical for Air Canada to get the problems at Pearson resolved: Airline analyst Helane Becker

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Most major Canadian airports missed the bar on customer satisfaction, with the Vancouver International Airport as the only location to place above the North American average, according to a survey and report released J.D. Power on Wednesday.

On a 1,000-point scale for large airports in North America, Vancouver International Airport scored 794, with the average overall customer satisfaction coming in at 784.

In terms of mega airports in North America, Toronto Pearson International Airport received 755, which was below the average rating of 769.

“The combination of pent-up demand for air travel, the nationwide labor shortage and steadily rising prices on everything from jet fuel to a bottle of water have created a scenario in which airports are extremely crowded and passengers are increasingly frustrated—and it is likely to continue through 2023,” said Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power.

“In some ways, this is a return to normal as larger crowds at airports tend to make travelers more frazzled, but in cases where parking lots are over capacity, gates are standing room only and restaurants and bars are not even open to offer some reprieve, it is clear that increased capacity in airports can’t come soon enough.”

Crowded terminals are one of travellers’ main complaints, with more than half (58 per cent) describing the airport as severely or moderately crowded.

Travellers are also less satisfied with food and beverage prices at airport terminals, with almost one-out-of-four individuals (24 per cent) saying they didn’t buy anything because it was too expensive.

Here’s the full results on where major Canadian airports ranked with traveller satisfaction:

Mega Airports: