Airport news
Dallas Love Field flies high in North American passenger satisfaction study
Travelers love Love Field. That’s the opinion of thousands of fliers surveyed for the 2019 J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study.
J.D. Power, a market research company, questioned more than 32,000 travelers from October 2018 to September 2019 and released its findings September 25. Among airports of all sizes featured in the study, Love — the home of Southwest Airlines — flew into first place in Texas and fifth in the U.S., earning a score of 826 on a 1,000-point scale.
The study judged airports in six areas tied to customer satisfaction:
- Terminal facilities
- Airport accessibility
- Security checkpoints
- Baggage claim
- Airline check-in
- Food, beverage, and retail options
In the category for large airports (10 million to 32.9 million passengers per year), Love Field glided into the No. 2 spot, behind only Portland International Airport in Oregon. Love repeated its No. 2 ranking in the large-airport category from 2018 and even raised its score this year by 16 points. Among large airports, the average score was 765; the average score for all North American airports was 762.
Love Field’s strong showing in the study follows its No. 1 ranking last year in a survey by travel app TripIt of the best U.S. airports for arrivals and departures.
In the mega-airport category (at least 33 million passengers a year), Dallas Fort Worth International Airport tied for fourth place with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Each posted a score of 773.
DFW placed 11th in an August 2019 ranking of the country’s best and worst airports produced by The Points Guy travel website, while Love Field came in at No. 37.
Here’s how other Texas airports fared in the J.D. Power study:
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport arrived at No. 7 among mega airports.
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport landed at No. 9 among large airports.
- Houston’s Hobby Airport checked in at No. 10 among large airports.
- San Antonio International Airport grabbed the No. 6 spot among midsize airports (4.5 million to 9.9 million passengers per year).