Bradley fails to soar in airport satisfaction study

Connecticut”™s largest airport has room for improvement ”“ or, to be more precise, a lot of room for improvement ”“ according to the J.D. Power 2016 North America Airport Satisfaction Study.

The study polled nearly 39,000 travelers to measure their satisfaction with medium and large airports in the U.S. and Canada. Working on a 1,000-point scale, the study focused on six factors (in order of importance): terminal facilities; airport accessibility; security check; baggage claim; check-in/baggage check; food, beverage and retail.

In the medium airport category, Hartford”™s Bradley International Airport ranked second-to-last, tied at 724 points with Kahului Airport in Maui, with only Cleveland Hopkins Airport scoring worst at 704 points. Although the J.D. Power report did not provide specific explanations for each airport”™s ranking, it nonetheless rankled the Connecticut Airport Authority ”“ Executive Director Kevin Dillon issued a statement claiming that the agency”™s internal customer service study “has actually shown an increase in airport satisfaction in 2016.”

Still, Bradley ranked higher than the major airports in the neighboring states. In the large airport category, John F. Kennedy International Airport rated a 713, Boston Logan Airport rated a 689, Newark Liberty International Airport rated a 669 and LaGuardia International Airport ranked last at 649.

Portland International Airport ranked highest in satisfaction among large airports for the second consecutive year, with a score of 786. Tampa International Airport (775) ranked second and Las Vegas McCarran Airport (759) ranked third.

Indianapolis International Airport ranked highest among medium airports, with a score of 794. Buffalo Niagara International Airport (791) ranked second and Fort Meyers/Southwest Florida International Airport (790) ranked third.