Two customer surveys have yielded notably different results when it comes to how passengers view Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
CVG ranked as the second-best regional airport in North America by London-based Skytrax, which surveys passengers. Houston’s Hobby International Airport beat it out this year. It has ranked No. 1 seven out of the past 10 years. CVG regularly touts the
ranking to passengers and in marketing materials.
Skytrax hands out the World Airport Awards annually and named CVG the best North American airport for staff service.
Skytrax praised CVG for its artwork, exhibitions and arts programs but noted shopping and dining choices are mostly limited to the gate areas “so customers should not have high expectations here.”
Skytrax awards are based on survey data evaluating traveler experiences in a variety of areas, including: check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security, immigration and departure and arrival gates.
Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar was named the best airport in the world, according to Skytrax.
But CVG ranks below average when it comes to its medium-sized peer airports and customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power’s 2022 North American Airport Satisfaction Study.
In the J.D. Power survey, CVG ranked 13th out of 18 airports in the study, behind John Glenn Columbus International Airport but ahead of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport when it comes to Ohio airports.
Medium-sized airports include those with between 4.5 million and 9.9 million passengers per year.
CVG scored 793 out of a possible 1,000 customer satisfaction points, 10 points behind No. 11 Columbus and ahead of No. 16 Cleveland. The top medium-sized airports were Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville, Fla. The average score for medium-sized
airports was 807.
The industry overall was hammered in the J.D. Power survey because of fewer flights, cancellations and delays and more-crowded terminals in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw airlines slash flights and employees, then struggle to ramp back up as repressed customer demand for travel skyrocketed. In 2021, air traveler satisfaction was at an all-time high when passenger volumes were low and prices were cheap. Now, passenger volumes are at 91% of pre-pandemic levels. Overall satisfaction is down 25 points.
“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.
The J.D. Power survey measured customer satisfaction across six areas in order of importance: terminal facilities, airport arrival/departure, baggage claim, security check, check-in/baggage check and food, beverage and retail.
The study, in its 17th year, is based on 26,529 completed surveys from U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport and covers both departure and arrival experiences during the past 30 days. The study was in the field from August 2021 through July 2022.
CVG has been serving the Greater Cincinnati region since 1947. The airport has more than 7,700 acres of land, four runways, and a diversified base of operations on and near the campus.
