Canada's Airports Are Getting Bigger and Better

It’s hardly news that 2017 was a record-breaking year for passenger traffic at Canada’s top airports. Interestingly, while Canada’s biggest airports are seeing unprecedented traveller numbers, and many are also launching major construction projects or upgrades, passengers are growing generally more satisfied with their Canadian airport experiences.

In fact, all four of Canada’s busiest airports obtained higher customer satisfaction ratings than they did last year, according to the J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study.

Here’s a look back at 2016 at Canada’s top airports.

Toronto Pearson International Airport
As Toronto Pearson International Airport eyes a future in which it attains mega hub status, part of its growth strategy includes luring connecting passengers from around North America. In 2015, it welcomed more than 41 million passengers making it Canada’s busiest airport and the second-busiest North America. Toronto Pearson airport had an “unprecedented” record-breaking summer, welcoming 9.6 million passengers, and it anticipates another 1.9 million passengers will travel through the facility during the holiday season.

Customer Satisfaction: Despite the airport’s growth, passengers have given it high marks in customer satisfaction. For 2016, its score climbed to 745 as compared to 719 last year. This year the airport also ranked eighth among all large airports in North America, up from 19^th place last year.

Vancouver International Airport
The future is also looking pretty bright at Vancouver International Airport, Canada’s second busiest airport. Between January and October, the airport welcomed 18.8 million passengers, a growth of 9.5 per cent over last year. In particular, the airport continues to grow its trans-pacific flights, with nearly half its passengers flying on Air Canada’s Asia-Pacific routes. But it also welcoming a variety of Asian airlines and is served by more carriers to mainland China than any other airport in North America.

Customer Satisfaction: Although Vancouver International Airport dropped to 13^th place among medium airports—down from ninth place last year, the airport’s customer satisfaction rating has increased. In 2016 its score was 776, up from 770 last year.

Montréal Trudeau International Airport
Montréal Trudeau, Canada’s third-busiest airport recently welcomed its 16 millionth passenger, a new best for the airport. International connections are also a focus for the airport, which says it is Canada’s second-largest airport in terms of international and connecting traffic. Fueling the airport’s growth spurt is Air Canada, which uses the airport as a connector between the United States and Europe. Air Transat too is growing its trans-Atlantic flights from Montreal.  

Customer Satisfaction: As with other Canadian airports, Montreal’s customer satisfaction rating is increasing. Last year, its score was 710 and this year it catapulted to 757. It ranked #23 in the medium airport category, up from #30 last year.

YYC Calgary International Airport
Big changes are afoot at YYC Calgary International Airport. Earlier this year the airport announced a rebrand and then on Halloween it officially opened a new international terminal. Already Aeromexico has announced that it will be utilizing the terminal when it commences new service from Mexico City next June. Through October of 2016, some 13.2 million passengers visited the airport, a 1.4 per cent growth over 2015, when the airport welcomed 15.48 passengers.

Customer Satisfaction: Ranking just behind Montreal in customer satisfaction. Calgary held the #24 slot on the list of medium airports, up one position over last year. But its overall customer satisfaction score has increased to 756, up from 739 last year.

Customer Satisfaction with Airports Across North America

The customer satisfaction rankings are according to the J.D. Power 2016 North America Airport Satisfaction Study which was released earlier this month.

Read more: J.D. Power Study: Airport Customer Satisfaction Improved in 2016

As with Canadian airports, American airports are also handling more passengers and yet still finding their customer satisfaction rankings increasing.

“Many airports, especially the nation’s largest airports, were never built to handle the current volume of traveller traffic, often exceeding their design limits by many millions of travellers,” said Michael Taylor, director of the airport practice at J.D. Power. “Yet airports are overcoming infrastructure limits by affecting the things they can influence. Airports are successfully applying technology to improve check-in (+5 points year-over-year), security screening (+3 points) and the food, beverage and retail shopping (+10 points) experiences.”

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