A recent study has shown a decrease in passengers spending money at airport terminals despite an increase in passenger travel demand, with this summer seeing record passengers pass through airports across the United States.

After a year-long study, data shows that a considerable number of passengers enjoyed their time on the ground at the airport, and despite record numbers, the majority found airports to be “not at all crowded”.

An unusual trend in passenger numbers & spending

After collecting data from August 2023 to July 2024, with a survey size of 26,290 participants, the study done by J.D. Power shows interesting insights into passenger satisfaction at airports of various sizes and the average spending at airports throughout this time period.

A noticeable trend identified from the data collected was that the average spending per passenger within airport terminals has declined despite the significant rise in passenger numbers seen across airports in the United States in recent months.

The study found that the average person spent $3.53 per passenger on food and beverages when compared to 2023, and at larger airports, the average passenger spending declined by $6.31.

Inside LAX

Photo: Fotos593 | Shutterstock

The data appears to have a negative correlation with passenger numbers, as airports across the country set records this summer during the 4th of July travel week when over three million passengers were screened by the Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) on a single day on July 7th.

While rising costs in the US have probably affected passengers’ spending power inside the terminal, the numbers seen so far this year clearly show that passengers are willing to spend on air travel.

Airports are enjoyable and represent local identity

Among other data collected, it was recorded that a significant number of passengers enjoyed their ground experience at the airport over the course of the study period, with 60% of the participating passengers responding with “somewhat agree” and “strongly agree” to their enjoyment of spending time at the airport. Additionally, 59% of the participants indicated that their particular airport helped alleviate travel-related stress.

Considering how there has been an increase in premium airline lounges opening across the country and even those traveling in economy having access to airport lounges via various programs, the ground experience would have been positively impacted.

Despite record passenger numbers, the average score for airport crowding was classified as “not at all crowded” and only 5% of the survey participants said the airports were “severely crowded”. Furthermore, by considering the airports’ infrastructure, ambiance, and features, a majority 70% of passengers indicated that various airports display a sense of identity and a sense of the city.

Maintaining low cancellation rates despite disruptions

While the airports saw record-breaking passengers this summer, the airports and airlines were also affected significantly by various factors, most prominently

Breaking: Global Airlines And Airports Down Due To IT Vulnerability
.

Despite all these disruptions and operational chaos, the data shows that this summer saw one of the lowest flight cancellation rates. The most significantly affected carrier was Delta Air Lines
, which saw around 7,000 flight cancellations over five days, affecting around 1.3 million passengers.

Other disruptions faced by the US aviation industry were more localized to certain airports, such as

shortages of Air Traffic Controllers at some of the busiest airports in the country
.

Despite these disruptions, data shows that the cancellation rate this summer was just over 1.5%, which is a considerably lower rate when compared to several years since 2017, when the lowest number of 1.4% was recorded.

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