Traveler survey: Hartsfield concessions could improve

Travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport say that food concessions and other services at the airport are getting better, but there’s still room for improvement, according to a survey.

The ongoing surveys conducted by Airport Interviewing and Research Inc. and commissioned by the airport show that passenger satisfaction at Hartsfield has improved for food and beverage concessions and security checkpoints, as the airport has rolled out improvements in both areas in the last year.

However, the satisfaction rating is in the 60s — a good rating but below the “best airport” status of 70 or above, according to AIR Inc.’s rating system.

The lowest scores in concessions at Hartsfield were for the variety of vendors, quality of items and variety of menu items.

Concessions are where Hartsfield could improve the most, according to AIR Inc. president Ira Weinstein. Work on concessions is in progress, with a new retail program for 70 new shops.

Satisfaction with parking at Hartsfield declined slightly in 2008 compared with the previous year, partly due to issues with signs to the parking lots, Weinstein said. Satisfaction with shops at the airport improved. Both areas scored in the low 60s.

Overall, Hartsfield-Jackson had a score of 68.1 last year, down slightly from 68.6 the previous year.

“We’ve seen the impact of the negative economy on people,” with travelers not as happy coming to any airport, Weinstein said. Still, Atlanta has held up relatively high scores after dipping about a year ago, he said.

“People are more critical of major hubs,” which are bigger and harder to navigate and have a large share of connecting passengers, Weinstein said.

AIR Inc.’s January 2009 survey shows improvements in overall satisfaction, parking, food and beverage, security and other areas but declines in satisfaction in areas like retail services. Airport officials say they more closely watch annual trends. An AIR Inc. report was released as AIR Inc.’s contract with Hartsfield comes up for renewal, for up to $390,000 for two years.

A separate survey, conducted by a professor at Brazilian business school Fundacao Dom Cabral, focused on travel stress at Hartsfield and Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport and found stress levels were lower at Hartsfield, with one traveler remarking that Atlanta’s airport “feels much more organized.”