The 2016 Skytrax World Airport Awards are in, and it doesn't look too impressive for America's airports.
The full list of the world's top 100 airports is based on highly respected methodologies in surveying more than 13 million passengers on a variety of ratings and determining the best airports in the world.
Looking at this year's list, it is immediately apparent that no American airports appear in the top 10 — or even the top 25. In fact, you have to scan down to position 28 before you reach the first — Denver International. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, San Francisco International and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International crop up before you reach the halfway point of 50.
Despite the low rankings, airports that do appear on the list have been filling my inbox with impressive statements from their PR departments over their excellent ratings in the awards.
Officials at Seattle/Tacoma declare they're the "top U.S. Airport in 40-50 million passenger category" and that they've won the "Best Airport Staff in North America" award. The actual position of the airport was 54, unchanged from 2015. Denver's news release thanked passengers for voting it ninth-best airport in the "Best Airports Serving More Than 50 Million Passengers a Year" category.
Semantics aside, why do America's airports rank so low on the global stage? Is it because they are particularly bad, or simply that the competitors around the globe are particularly good?
Skytrax reiterates that any airport can be featured in the list, and the results are comprised completely from customer feedback. So it makes sense to suggest the rankings are a direct result of the customer-facing aspects of each airport on the list, such as how passengers find the environment, security process, signage, waiting times, the airport staff and the amenities and concessions on offer. The survey even covers how passengers feel about Wi-Fi, power-charging facilities and provision for smokers.
Every American airport in the top 100 list has seen a rise in its ranking, apart from Cincinnati, Boston and San Francisco, with Seattle/Tacoma maintaining the same position. Houston George Bush is one of the most impressive, with a rise of 30 places over 2015.
Singapore Changi Airport topped the Skytrax poll for the fourth year running. With botanical gardens, cinemas, sleeping areas, swimming pools and even free city tours for passengers in transit, it is perhaps no surprise. In fact, much of the top 10 is little changed over previous years and features many Asian mega-hubs, which are known for prioritizing amenities and customer service.
With American airports starting to look more at this aspect of their operations and many older terminals being revamped, perhaps the coming years will start to see more appear in the top 100 list.
The top 10 list of U.S. airports is:
- Denver International (28)
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (32)
- San Francisco International (37)
- Hartsfield-Jackson International (43)
- Seattle/Tacoma (54)
- Dallas/Fort Worth (58)
- New York JFK (59)
- Houston George Bush (71)
- Minneapolis St Paul (75)
- Detroit International (89)
Los Angeles International and Boston Logan complete the top 100 list in positions 91 and 97 respectively.
