Hartsfield-Jackson ranks 18th among large airports in traveler satisfaction

J.D. Power noted, however, that the decline in satisfaction shows Hartsfield-Jackson is "feeling the strain," and is planning a $6 billion renovation and expansion over the next 20 years.

That construction and other airport renovation projects across the country "will make it difficult for travelers to access the airport and, once there, it will likely make it even more difficult to navigate the crowded terminals," according to Taylor. "During construction, airports need a solid strategy for passenger flow.... The goal would be to prevent traveler stress and aid on-time flow."

But once renovations are complete, traveler satisfaction should improve, according to Taylor.

Bigger isn't always better when it comes to traveler satisfaction. Large airports can be more difficult to navigate, with bigger crowds and longer walks to parking and to connect between flights, for example.

Overall traveler satisfaction with large airports is lower than satisfaction with medium airports, the J.D. Power study shows. Large airports scored 724 overall, compared with medium airports at 760.

"Many airports, especially the nation's largest airports, were never built to handle the current volume of traveler traffic, often exceeding their design limits by many millions of travelers," according to Taylor.

Hartsfield-Jackson, for its part, notes that it was named the No. 1 airport in a TravelPulse survey released last month.

One survey respondent called the airport "an absolute nightmare,"TravelPulse noted, saying it's "terrible trying to get from one end of the airport to the other" and "I try to avoid it at all costs!"

But other survey respondents said said the airport "handles the traffic relatively comfortably" and has "a great variety of stores and restaurants," according to TravelPulse.

MORE FROM THE AJC:

J.D. Power North American Airport Satisfaction Study

Large airport ranking