© Rebecca Slezak/The Dallas Morning News/TNS. Delays and cancellations at the nation's largest airports, including DFW International Airport, took travelers surveyed by Austin-based Upgraded Points by surprise.Travelers complain about DFW International Airport, but they don't blame restrooms, concessions, or even security lines.
A new survey by Upgraded Points, a website on the biggest pet bites for travelers, found DFW to be the airport with the most complaints in the country, ahead of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.
That's mostly because DFW, along with Atlanta and Los Angeles, is one of the busiest airports in the nation, so travelers have plenty of options to find something to complain about.
They are also hubs for major airlines, where many passengers get off on one flight and get on another, increasing the chances of being stuck due to lengthy delays or cancellations. About 60% of DFW's 62 million annual passengers are connected.
"I think how crowded some of these airports are is how people view their travel plans," said Kyle Beierlein, senior researcher at UpgradedPoints.com.
The survey in late October involved 500 passengers, the Austin-based company said.
Other passenger complaints are predictable.
Unbalanced seats, rude passengers and queues topped the list, with ultra-low-cost carriers Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Allegiant Air reporting the most, according to the survey. JetBlue Airlines also topped the list.
But when it comes to airports, what is often overlooked is what's inside, but what's going on outside.
In 2021, DFW had the second-highest cancellation rate among major airports, with 3.51% of outbound flights canceled and more than 20% of flights delayed, according to the US Department of Transportation.
DFW airlines are picking up steam in 2022, but DFW's cancellation rate is still higher than the national average.
In that survey, travelers were only asked about the nation's 25 largest airports, so the Dallas Love Field, a DFW-like level of cancellations and delays is out of the question.
In terms of the travel experience, airports can do little to satisfy customers when flights are delayed or cancelled, said Beierlein. Lost bags, security delays and other issues matter to travelers too, but not as much as unexpected delays and flight delays.
"Especially for commuters, it's hard to balance those two things in your mind," he says.
In fact, JD Power's 2022 Airport Satisfaction Study says DFW has the highest average rating of the nation's "major airports," with Dallas Love Field regularly topping the list.
Then, according to Upgraded Point research, the airport with the fewest complaints is Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. My slot machine.
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