Airport Customer Service (not airline)

[JEP]

Well at least Minneapolis can only get better. You wonder if it is the airport or the airlines that serve it. Unhappy pax are not going say, the airline sucked but the Starbucks was great. They go hand in hand. We also had congestion due to runway construction....And then there is that winter thing too....

By EMMA L. CAREW, Star Tribune

Last update: May 20, 2008 - 2:55 PM

Minneapolis-St. Paul International ranked dead last in customer satisfaction, according to a J.D. Power and Associates survey released today.

The survey ranked airports on six factors including check-in and baggage claim facilities and food offerings. MSP received a score of 647 on a 1,000-point scale, the lowest among the 60 airports studied.

Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman Patrick Hogan said MSP's low rankings came as a surprise.

"These rankings are not consistent with the kind of survey feedback we get from other organizations or from surveys we conduct ourselves," he said.

Among large airports, MSP was compared to 18 other airports that each serve over 30 million passengers annually. Each category was rated on a five-point scale, with MSP receiving the lowest marks across the board.

Hogan said he thinks weather-related delays and last summer's runway closure may have contributed to the airport's low score, depending on when the survey was administered.

In other surveys, Hogan said MSP usually ranks high in retail and concessions, as well as security lines. MSP has six security check-points in the main lobby, compared to other airports, which have only one or two.

Rising costs and declining services from airlines may also be a contributing factor, Hogan said, though he declined to pinpoint specific issues with the airport's dominant carrier, Northwest Airlines.

"It has a ripple effect on airports," he said, "if travelers aren't happy with their flight."

As more and more customers look online for cheaper ticket prices, airlines are forced to cut back on services, he said.

Among large airports, those in Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Orlando were the three highest scorers, with a five-out-of-five rating for overall satisfaction.

More than 21,165 passengers who flew round-trip between April 2007 and March 2008 were surveyed and given the option to evaluate up to three airports, resulting in more than 36,500 total responses.

Emma L. Carew • 612-673-7405

[Nick]

Way too much walking to be done in that airport.

I'm not lazy and I don't mind walking but in an airport there needs to be a way to get from any gate to any other gate in as short a time as possible and that airport just doesn't have it.

[Wild_Weasel]

What???

There's no way that survey could be accurate and rank MSP lower than places like LAX.

MSP actually has clean bathrooms and iPod vending machines!

[DeltaAVL]

I love how they call IAD a "Medium Airport" and RDU a "Small Airport"...

[Polar742]

Originally Posted by DeltaAVL

I love how they call IAD a "Medium Airport" and RDU a "Small Airport"...

I give AVL two thumbs up!!! Free innerweb and rocking chairs.

TSA is even sociable....

That's what I'm talkin' about...

[Doug Taylor]

How can MSP rank worse than JFK? I'd love to see the metrics that went into that.

[DZERO]

PHL ranking in the top was a shocker for me....I have heard JFK-esk nightmares about that place.

[N826AW]

MSP is a great airport. How many other airports can you go into the bathroom, and with three taps of your foot get yourself a.....nevermind I'll keep it PG-13 in here.

[zmiller4]

Apparently, MSP didn't get any extra credit for the great customer service in the men's restrooms.

[PGT]

MSP is actually decent.


wanna see bad airports? go to CDG or LHR

[killbilly]

Originally Posted by PGT

MSP is actually decent.


wanna see bad airports? go to CDG or LHR

Airports I love...

DIA, ATL, DFW (the new terminal, anyway), DAL, MCI, AUS

Airports I hate...

MDW (though it has improved), ORD, JFK, LGA, PHL

[PGT]

whats wrong with ORD, I like it

...I think I'd have to LAS up on my "likes" list as well

[blee256]

MSP is probably the cleanest airport I have been to. The food offerings is awesome. The only downfall is how its so spread apart as someone mentioned above. Other than that, its a great airport.