Among big airports, Salt Lake City International placed in the top ten for customer satisfaction

Salt Lake City, Utah – Salt Lake City International Airport is ranked in the top ten largest airports in the United States for customer satisfaction according to a recent J.D. Power assessment.

The research states that on July 7 of this year, over 3 million travelers in North America went through TSA checkpoints, setting a record for the number of passengers in a single day.
However, J.D. Power claims that despite the heavy traffic and escalating costs, travelers are still having a good time at airports.

The majority of tourists are still having a good time. But the average amount spent per passenger in the airport has decreased dramatically from a year ago, indicating that we are beginning to witness a breaking point in consumer spending,” said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hotel, and retail at J.D. Power.

Among major U.S. airports, Salt Lake City International Airport came in at number nine in the survey. That is ahead of San Jose International Airport and directly behind Portland International Airport. The top three airports in the same category were Kansas City International, Tampa International, and Orange County’s John Wayne Airport.

In its 19th year, the North America Airport happiness Study gauges total passenger happiness by looking at a variety of factors, including how easy it is to go through the airport, how much faith passengers have in it, the quality of the terminals and airport personnel, and the availability of food and drink. For the study, almost 26,000 questionnaires were employed by citizens in the United States and Canada.

Despite record passenger numbers, airline cancellations, and delays, other significant study findings indicate that 60% of travelers “somewhat agree” or “strongly agree” that they enjoyed their time at the airport. An additional 59% concur that their airport contributed to reducing travel anxiety.

The way these airports honor the areas in which they are located sets them apart from airports that do worse. In general, 70% of travelers concur that their airport accurately captures the spirit of the local community or area.

However, the good news for airports doesn’t end there. The analysis suggests that growing expenses might be approaching a tipping point. According to J.D. Power, travelers spent $3.53 less per person on food, beverages, and other terminal items on average in 2024 than they did in 2023. Passengers have cut their expenditure by an average of $6.31 at large airports, such as Salt Lake City International, where the reduction is most.