CHANGE MY LOCATION
Passengers are not happy with SFO
SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY
Related Topics: SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT
)
J.D. Power and Associates’ 2008 airport customer satisfaction study ranked SFO second to worst out of the nation’s 20 largest airports.
SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT (Map, News) - Passenger happiness at Bay Area airports has not been cleared for takeoff, according to a new national report.
J.D. Power and Associates’ 2008 airport satisfaction study ranked San Francisco International Airport second to worst out of the nation’s 20 largest airports in terms of customer satisfaction. Of the country’s 21 medium-size airports, the study ranked Oakland International Airport last and San Jose Mineta International Airport second to last.
The annual report ranked the airports based on passengers’ online responses to six factors: airport accessibility, baggage claim, check in/baggage check process, terminal facilities, security check and food and retail services.
Airport officials are not sold on the survey’s results, however, and claim the findings conflict with other research. Polaris Research and Development conducts an annual SFO survey that recently assigned the airport a customer satisfaction ranking of 4 out of 5, while the J.D. Power survey gave the hub a 2 out of 5.
SFO officials also challenged the validity of the study, saying only North American passengers were surveyed, that no one from J.D. Power ever visited the airport and that the opinions represented in the survey “fly in the face” of official government data.
“SFO’s view is the J.D. Power and Associates survey of airports is about as reliable and scientific for measuring customer satisfaction as ‘American Idol’ is for predicting success in the music industry,” said SFO spokesman Mike McCarron.
J.D. Power’s research lasted 12 months and included responses from 21,165 passengers who evaluated the departing, arriving and connecting airports from a round-trip flight this year.
“[SFO] is so big it’s kind of tough to get around and find everything,” passenger Randy Gilbert said at SFO on Sunday.
The airport’s low rankings may merely be a symptom of the Bay Area’s affluence, said study director Jim Gaz. He said Bay Area customers may be used to high-end amenities and could scrutinize normal services as substandard.
SFO did climb a notch from last year’s J.D. Power survey, when it was last among large airports. Oakland was tied for No. 17 and San Jose was No. 23 out of 25 medium-size airports last year.
Comments from Examiner Readers
10:53 PM MST on Mon., Jul. 28, 2008 re: "It saves to fly out of San Francisco"
Report as inappropriate
1:11 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 25, 2008
re: "It saves to fly out of San Francisco"
Report as inappropriate
12:49 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 25, 2008
re: "It saves to fly out of San Francisco"
Report as inappropriate
10:01 AM MST on Mon., May. 26, 2008
re: "Passengers are not happy with SFO"
Report as inappropriate
8:37 AM MST on Mon., May. 26, 2008
re: "Passengers are not happy with SFO"
Report as inappropriate
12:58 PM MST on Wed., Apr. 30, 2008
re: "Virgin takes off while competitors lay low"
Report as inappropriate
11:38 AM MST on Mon., Apr. 21, 2008
re: "Lawsuit talk buzzing about airport noise"
Report as inappropriate
5:26 PM MST on Thu., Apr. 10, 2008
re: "Bay Area reacts to rescheduling"
Report as inappropriate
7:03 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 21, 2007
re: "2 flights grounded at SFO"
Report as inappropriate
1:00 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 21, 2007
re: "2 American Airlines flights grounded at SFO"
Report as inappropriate
Examiner Reader said:
I agree, Southwest aircraft, besides the Boeing 737-700, are pretty beat up and ghetto. Flying Virgin is the only way to go, clean new Airbus Aircraft, freindly staff, and tons of entertainment onboard. I only wish they flew to other destnations out of San Diego.
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Wai Yip Tung said:
Of course they do fly to New York.
2 agree | 2 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
But the low cost carriers out of SFO do not fly to places like Chicago, New York, or do they?
3 agree | 5 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
truly poor vender selection,food services extremely limited.... one only needs to travel outside of the U.S. to make a comparison ie zurich, heathrow vender food serivice quite varied... services in sfo are sooo predictably bland off the shelf vendors and services... ray okamoto frequent flyer
10 agree | 11 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
I read this in the printed copy. It shows Philli coming in first. No wonder the managers at SFO are taking shots at the study. Not like SFO would be a jewel by the sea... but Philli?
9 agree | 10 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
I find Virgin America a bunch of fun to fly!
11 agree | 10 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Go for it! The noise over Montara and Moss Beach has become unbearable on some days. And the claim that the airport cares and calls back is BS. I have called them on really bad days and not once have they had the courtesy to return a call and discuss the issues. They deserve what is coming for them.
10 agree | 11 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Once again the genius of the marketplace has brought us the current state of u.s. airlines. I suspect many of us flyers would be willing to pay a bit more not to be left waiting at the gate.
10 agree | 10 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
southwest is super ghetto with the lack of seat assignments, while it's lax it is not efficient and planes look beat up and in poor shape
72 agree | 84 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Southwest....is the only way to go!
93 agree | 98 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree