Charlotte ranks below average for satisfaction among mega North American airports
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A Queen Charlotte statue greets passengers in CLT's terminal lobby. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
Charlotte Douglas International Airport ranks below average for customer satisfaction among mega airports in the United States and Canada, according to a new J.D. Power survey.
Why it matters: Charlotte's biggest issue is a problem every airport wants to have — it's seeing a record number of passengers, Michael Taylor, J.D. Power's managing director of travel, hospitality and retail, tells Axios.
Yes, but: With more passengers comes more congestion, which can make it more difficult to get to the terminal, through security or to your gate.
What they're saying: "That's what's really driving down satisfaction [in] Charlotte," Taylor says. "There's really not anything the actual airport has done worse in the last couple of years."
How it works: The 2024 study weighs more than 26,000 responses from U.S. or Canadian residents who passed through an airport within 30 days of being surveyed between August 2023 through July 2024.
- Respondents rated their arrival and departure experiences across seven key areas, including ease of travel, terminal facilities, staff and availability of food and retail.
- Airports were divided into three categories: mega (airports with at least 33 million passengers per year), large (10 million to 32.9 million passengers annually) and medium (4.5 million to 9.9 million passengers per year).
By the numbers: Study standards define CLT, which saw a record 53.4 million passengers in 2023, as a mega airport. CLT ranks 15th out of 20 mega airports, scoring 585 out of 1,000.
Zoom in: Charlotte's food and beverage scores were above average. Meanwhile, one of CLT's biggest issues is increased crowds, which coincides with major construction in the airport's terminal lobby, plus renovations inside the terminal.
- The $608 million terminal lobby expansion is expected to be complete next year.
- Checkpoint 2, which recently closed for renovations, is expected to open in spring 2025, according to CLT chief infrastructure officer Jack Christine.
What we're watching: CLT recently opened skybridges, which are expected to help alleviate some congestion near departure and arrival drop-offs.
- Plus, the airport just opened 10 new gates — seven for Delta, two for Frontier and one for common use — in Concourse A.
- Delta Sky Club plans to open its first Charlotte lounge in December, seating more than 250 people and spanning nearly 15,000 square feet in the new section of Concourse A.
- These additions alone won't solve crowding, but they do give passengers a little more space.