Quick question: Among all the large airports in the country, which one always rates as “second worst” among large airports?
Wrong — if you thought it was Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye airport. After all, that was our ranking in 2023, 2022 and 2020.
But now, the latest from J.D. Power’s North American Airport Satisfaction Study shows Honolulu’s major airport as fourth-worst. This is not good news, though, since more than 20 airports scored higher than Honolulu.
Frustration mounts because unless you are on an ocean liner, travelers to Honolulu have no choice — you have to fly and most likely land in Honolulu. So too bad if you don’t like it; this is what you are going to do.
Before launching a condemnation of the state and saying it is wasting taxpayer money, please note that the airports do not run with cash from the state’s general fund. The state gets the money to operate all the islands’ airports from airline fees, airport businesses and concessionaires. Also federal funds help pay the airports’ tab.
Despite that, according to the Powers survey, the public said it was not impressed.
“The embarrassing rankings have been similar for years, and it isn’t improving despite enormous multibillion-dollar Hawaii airport renovation cash infusions and the unknown cost of a recent ‘runaway’ runway repair,” says industry publication Beat of Hawaii-Hawaii Travel News.
Hawaii’s poor airport record is such common knowledge that the former CEO of United Airlines, Oscar Munoz, in 2019 said: “ongoing construction and deferred maintenance at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport is taking away from the visitors’ experience.
“I toured this airport with our team this morning … and literally things are coming off the wall,” he said. The former airline chief also pointed to the endless construction projects as another of the Honolulu airport’s problems.
After the most recent rating, no one is saying Hawaii’s airports can stand tall.
Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power, called Honolulu’s airport “significantly below average in food, beverage and retail.”
The problems are sinking in. The comment section following Wednesday’s Star-Advertiser summary of the J.D. Powers’ report had readers saying such things as: “The airport does still have that old worn vibe … Trash cans to catch leaks and broken fixtures are still visible. I’ve seen new airports. As stated in the article, HNL is the first and last impression for visitors. If Hawaii wants to be a first-class visitor destination, having a third-class airport doesn’t help.”
The newspaper story pointed to another airport problem: the facility’s design.
In the interview with the survey’s author, a multitude of problems were reported by the paper.
“Taylor said improving access to the Honolulu airport, airport infrastructure and adding a greater mix of food, beverage and retail, especially local style, could help,” the article said. “Completing rail, which could help reduce employee traffic, also might help the Honolulu airport’s access score rise.”
Ranking No. 1 in the large airport group was Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
The famous Louisiana tourist spot earned high praise.
As one user commented in a review: “This is a wonderful airport to fly into! I’ve now been in all three areas and they all work perfect. Clean, organized, awesome, plentiful bathrooms and good food!!”
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said, “For our airport to see such a vast improvement in rankings over the last three years is nothing short of incredible. With New Orleans as a major tourist destination and a location for global commerce, these results send a clear and direct message.”
Honolulu also is mentioned as a major tourist area and spot for global commerce — but after numerous attempts at reconstruction, the Honolulu airport just doesn’t make the grade.
