McCarran rated best in customer service

Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2002 | 11:16 a.m.

McCarran International leads the nation's large airports in a customer satisfaction survey, ranking high in accessibility and baggage-handling efficiency, J.D. Power and Associates reported today.

The survey was released today by the Westlake Village, Calif.-based marketing firm, which said it tallied 10,250 airport evaluations from travelers in several countries. J.D. Power compiles customer satisfaction studies on a variety of products.

The survey was conducted in July and August and asked respondents to consider their airport experiences since the terrorist attacks.

The study measured passenger satisfaction at 46 major airports worldwide and ranked several categories, including accessibility, quality of terminal and gate facilities, check-in and baggage claim ease, food and beverage locations and retail availability.

McCarran was second among the world's major airports, classified as those serving more than 30 million passengers a year, trailing only Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok International Airport.

The Las Vegas airport edged Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport in the ranking and finished ahead of airports in Phoenix, Minneapolis, Detroit, Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Francisco.

J.D. Power did not quantify its results by category or give any detailed statistics showing how those surveyed ranked Las Vegas against other airports.

Michael Taylor, senior director of travel services at J.D. Power and Associates, said survey respondents were most impressed with the ease of McCarran's baggage claim system and with ease of access, from the city to the airport, to the transportation corridors around the airport and to the flow within the terminal.

The category in which McCarran ranked lowest -- although it was still above the industry average -- was in variety of food and beverage opportunities. However, that was somewhat offset by the fact that most restaurants are located beyond security perimeters, making them easily accessible by passengers.

"Airports are important to the public because they provide the first impression an area has on its visitors," Taylor said. "In this regard, I think Las Vegas McCarran is pretty strong."

Dennis Casteel, a travel agent with Carlson Wagonlit Green Valley Travel, noted that McCarran is a natural extension of Las Vegas.

"I think our airport is as good as anybody else's, especially in the changing climate of transportation in this country," Casteel said. "I know McCarran had some problems with their long lines, especially after 9-11, but they've been managing that well."

Taylor said increased security procedures at airports have made people skills among airport personnel more important than ever. He said the survey showed that overall, travelers are less happy about security procedures now than they were prior to the terrorist attacks, with the number of people "pleased" with airport security dropping to 32 percent this year from 39 percent prior to Sept. 11.

"As new security procedures have dramatically increased the interaction between passengers and airport staff, people skills, such as courtesy and professionalism, have become increasingly important to passenger satisfaction," Taylor said. "And because security procedures have increased wait times at departure gates, passengers are looking for something to do such as shop, eat or drink."

The lower satisfaction on waiting times and anxiety at security lines was offset by increased satisfaction in on-time performance of flights, Taylor said. The percentage of respondents happy with better on-time performance increased from 66 percent in 2001 to 74 percent this year.

In addition to ranking the major airports, J.D. Power issued a report on medium-size airports -- those serving between 10 million and 30 million passengers a year.

The top-ranked airport in that category was Singapore's Changi International Airport, followed by airports at Tampa and Orlando, Fla.; Pittsburgh; Portland, Ore.; Charlotte, N.C.; Washington Reagan National; Vancouver, British Columbia; Salt Lake City; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Cincinnati; San Diego; Philadelphia; San Jose, Calif.; and Toronto.