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Construction at Cleveland Hopkins is probably one reason customer satisfaction among travelers is so low, according to a recent J.D. Power survey.

(Susan Glaser, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland Hopkins International Airport ranks dead last in customer satisfaction among medium-sized airports in North America, according to a recent survey of more than 21,000 travelers.

The survey, conducted for J.D. Power, ranked 31 large airports (with passenger enplanements of 7 million and up), and 33 medium-sized airports on six factors: terminal facilities, airport accessibility, security check, baggage claim, check-in/baggage check and terminal shopping.

The survey was taken in September and October, in the middle of a $20 million terminal renovation at Hopkins that has inconvenienced thousands of passengers.

"The recent J.D. Power report results are not unexpected," said Fred Szabo, interim Hopkins director. "Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is in the midst of a major renovation project and low satisfaction ratings are expected when passengers are required to negotiate confusing traffic patterns and limited access points. Our satisfaction ratings have been consistently increasing in the recent past and we expect them to recover significantly once the construction is completed. Although the current construction project is challenging, the end result will be well worth it."

The average airport ranking, out of a 1,000-point scale, was 725. Cleveland Hopkins received a score of 698 - behind Port Columbus (749), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (766), Pittsburgh (769) and dozens of others.

Though Cleveland was the lowest-ranking medium-sized airport, several large airports finished with worse scores than Cleveland, including Newark, Chicago O'Hare and Los Angeles.

Highest-scoring airports included Portland, Oregon, and Tampa, Florida, in the large-airport category, and Dallas Love Field and Southwest Florida International in Fort Myers in the medium-size category.

Jeff Conklin, vice president of J.D. Power, said Hopkins scored relatively well in the check-in/baggage-check category. "From there, it's all frustration," Conklin said.

Among the complaints: the scarcity of food, beverage and shopping options. Hopkins travelers, he said, spend very little money at the airport. "Once they're in the terminal, they really don't spend much money at all."

Hopkins' ranking has slipped since J.D. Power last ranked airports. In 2010, Cleveland ranked about average for medium-sized airports.

Industry-wide, however, satisfaction with airports has increased in the five years since J.D. Power last conducted a similar survey.

Airport rankings

Top-rated large airports (annual passenger enplanements of 7 million and up)

Portland, Oregon

Tampa, Florida

Las Vegas

Orlando

Salt Lake City

Bottom-rated large airports

Newark, New Jersey

New York LaGuardia

Los Angeles

Chicago O'Hare

Philadelphia

Top-rated medium airports (annual passenger enplanements of 2 million to 7 million)

Dallas Love

Southwest Florida (Fort Myers)

Indianapolis

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

Jacksonville, Florida

Bottom-rated medium airports

Cleveland

Hobby (Houston)

Kahului (Maui, Hawaii)

Montreal

Lambert-St. Louis

Source: J.D. Power 2015 North America Airport Satisfaction Study

Among the recent trends:

Gate cleanliness is critical: A messy gate causes customer satisfaction with terminal facilities to plummet. Making sure travelers can hear flight announcements and having enough seating and outlets for electronics also increase satisfaction.

Check-in and security make or break airport satisfaction: Satisfaction declines the longer it takes to check-in for a flight and check a bag. Standing in long lines for security is another satisfaction breaker.

How travelers get to the airport matters: One feature that the 10 highest-performing airports in both the large and medium segments do better than the other airports is providing space at the curb for dropping off travelers.

Younger travelers are more satisfied and spend more money. Airport satisfaction is highest among Millennials and Generation X travelers, who spend substantially more on food, beverages, merchandise and services in the airport than Baby Boomers and pre-Boomers. Millennials spend an average of $25 in the airport, compared to $10 for Boomers.

Conklin said airport officials are starting to recognize the importance of satisfied customers - in part because of a correlation between happy travelers and those who spend more money at an airport.

"It's no longer just about getting travelers from Point A to Point B as efficiently as possible; it's about making the airport experience enjoyable," said Rick Garlick, global travel and hospitality practice lead at J.D. Power. "Most airports have really made a tremendous shift over the past six years and are now focused on managing the end-to-end experience for their travelers."