A new study reaffirms what many travellers already know: Toronto Pearson International Airport is not great.
The J.D. Power airport satisfaction survey put the airport near the bottom of the list in customer satisfaction, ranking Pearson 16 out of 20 “mega” North American airports — meaning airports that have more than 33 million passengers annually.
Rankings were based on these factors: Terminal facilities, airport arrival/departure, baggage claim, security check, check-in/baggage check, and food, beverage and retail.
The study divided airports into mega, large and medium sized, and ranked them on a scale of 1,000 points.
Overall satisfaction with North American airports fell 25 points this year to 777.
Pearson’s ranking is 755. Rounding out the bottom of the list were Boston Logan International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, and Newark Liberty International.
The highest satisfaction rating was for Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, with a score of 800.
Air travel has almost returned to pre-pandemic levels — it stands at 91% — but labour shortages have meant more cancelled and delayed flights.
A J.D. Power spokesperson states that overcrowding and passenger frustration is likely to continue through 2023. The issues are fewer flights and more crowded terminals with long wait times.
The study is based on 26,529 completed surveys from U.S. or Canadian residents who travelled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport and covers both departure and arrival experiences.
However, Tori Gass, a spokesperson for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, disputed whether the sample is truly representative.
Gass noted the survey polled only 637 Pearson passengers and said that made the sample size too small to draw a significant conclusion, according to the Canadian Press.
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