TAMPA, Fla — If you're flying through Tampa International Airport anytime soon, you'll be glad to know you're walking into the best of large airports, according to a 2022 North American Airport Satisfaction study by J.D. Power.
TPA claimed the top spot this year after coming in third and even second place the past two years in the study, the airport said in a news release.
So what's so good about Tampa International Airport?
The study conducted by J.D. Power measures overall traveler satisfaction by observing six factors within mega, large and medium airports: terminal facilities, airport arrival/departure, baggage claim, security check, check-in/baggage check, and food, beverage and retail.
In the seventeenth year of the study, TPA is No. 1. Followed behind are John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California (No. 2), Dallas Love Field (No. 3), Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (No. 4) and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (No. 5).
TPA reached a final score of 846 points on a 1,000-point scale. The study collected 26,529 completed surveys from U.S. and Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport between Aug. 2021 through July 2022.
The study also found more details into what passengers dislike as air travel reached an all-time high in 2021. The key findings include crowds back to pre-pandemic levels with overall customer satisfaction with North American airports falling 25 points to 777.
"More than half (58%) of airport travelers describe the airport terminal as severely or moderately crowded, nearly in line with 2019 when 59% of travelers said their airport was severely/moderately crowded," J.D. Powers said.
Other findings include 24% of travelers saying they did not buy food or beverages at the airport due to its costly price tag. And some say airport parking was hard to find and more expensive than they expected.
Orlando International Airport ranked No. 6 among mega airports in the study. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport took first place in the mega category.