Exeter Airport tops HappyOrNot's Airport Report, Newcastle fifth, Southend sixth and Cardiff seventh
The report’s feedback was gathered across 158 million data-points from HappyOrNot’s Smiley terminals (above).These are located in 160 airports across 36 countries.
Analysing air traveller feedback on an unprecedented scale, the report reveals the eight happiest airports globally, offering insight into how certain parts of the air travel experience are happier than others and illustrates the best and worst times of the day, week and year, to fly.
The Eight Happiest Airports:
1. Exeter Airport, UK – 88.66%
2. Cork Airport, Republic of Ireland – 88.45%
2. Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (Rome), Italy – 88.45%
4. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, USA – 87.35%
5. Newcastle International Airport, UK – 87.05%
6. London Southend Airport, UK – 86.79%
7. Cardiff Airport, UK – 86.57%
8. Keflavik International Airport, Iceland – 86.35%
This ranking is based on feedback data collected between November 2016 and November 2017, from airports which received over 120,000 feedbacks in the past year across more than two points of experience (including security and baggage reclaim).
The average value across all these airports was 76.52%.
Exeter Airport’s Managing Director, Matt Roach, commented: “The HappyOrNot units around the airport have proven to be a very effective and simple way to evaluate passengers’ experiences. We know that the procedures at an airport can be stressful, but our staff do their best to ease the journey for the travelers and this shows in the consistently high positive ratings. I am very proud of the performance reflected in the responses, and the magnificent achievement of being in the top spot.”
Ville Levaniemi, HappyOrNot Founder and Executive VP, commented: “While the stressful airport is sometimes employed as a Hollywood trope, this report demonstrates the happiness of the majority of people taking to the skies. Our analysis presents a unique opportunity to celebrate those places that make the air travel experience pleasurable, based on an enormous amount of data rather than just anecdotal evidence. We want to congratulate Exeter airport, as well as all the other airports in this list, for ensuring passengers are so often on cloud nine.”
London Southend Airport was featured in sixth place in the global rankings, with an average passenger satisfaction level of 86.79%. Earlier this year, London Southend Airport was also ranked Best London Airport 2017 by Which? for the fifth year in a row. Its network has grown rapidly throughout 2017 and now boasts over 30 short-haul domestic and European routes, with the most recent additions including Bordeaux, Pula, Antwerp, Dublin, Manchester, Glasgow and Malta, among many others.
Glyn Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Stobart Aviation, owners of London Southend Airport said: “We’re absolutely delighted to feature prominently in HappyOrNot’s Airport Report and even more so knowing that it’s our passengers who rated us.
"Satisfaction levels regularly exceed 90%, proving that the hard work and dedication of our teams is paying off. It also shows passengers that there truly is a better way to travel to and from London. We will not rest and will continue to work and improve the passenger experience. Our ambition remains to be the best as we continue to grow in the London market.”
