Edmonton International Airport Only Slightly Less Hated Than Pearson
There's nothing like a bad airport experience to get a much-anticipated vacation off to a bad start, or undo all of the relaxation upon return. But such is the sacrifice otherwise-happy travelers must make when flying out of Edmonton International, named the third-worst airport in Canada in a poll by online travel agent FlightNetwork.com.
This was the second such poll by the company. Edmonton International rounded out Canada's worst, placing third with 9.9% of respondents deeming it the worst, up from 9.5% on 2010. While it's a dismal distinction, Edmonton fared much better than Toronto's Pearson International, was deemed the worst by 36.6% of respondents (compared to 27.6% in 2010.) Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport was a distant second, receiving the ire of a respectable 17.7% of respondents (16.0 in 2010).
"Passengers have many options when choosing an airline, but when it comes to airports, they generally don't have any choice," said Naman Budhdeo, CEO of FlightNetwork.com. "We've seen most airlines working really hard to improve the customer experience over the past few years, but the goal of airports is simply to get people in and out."
Of those polled, 57.2% cited slow security as the number one criteria in their choice of worst Canadian airport. Bad service (53.5%) and lack of dining options (49.8%) were also top factors.
Edmonton is not alone in being unpopular; south of the border, Los Angeles International isn't feeling much love either, with 25.9% of respondents choosing it as the worst in the U.S. Chicago O'Hare came a close second with an even 20%, with New York's JFK rounding out the bottom three with 17.6%.
Internationally, London Heathrow was voted worst with 26%, followed by Charles de Gaulle in Paris in second (13.6%) and Pearson in a close third (13%).
There was, however, some good news to be had: Respondents were also asked to rank those airports that are doing a great job. Vancouver International was deemed the BEST major airport in Canada, receiving positive reviews from 34.6% of participants. Outside of Canada, McCarran International in Las Vegas was favoured by 20%, while internationally, results were fairly evenly split, with Hong Kong International earning top honours with a modest 13% of votes.
About FlightNetwork.com (www.flightnetwork.com)
As one of Canada's leaders in online travel, FlightNetwork.com delivers the lowest airfares from the top airlines by offering consumers access to over 2 million bulk rates on cheap flights negotiated with major airlines. Its proprietary flight booking engine offers last second booking and the exclusive ability to 'mix and match' fares - the only Canadian online travel agency that allows booking on different airlines for departure and return flights to get the lowest fares possible. Backing up Flight Network's award winning online service are over 120 insightful travel specialists in the FlightNetwork.com call centre who ensure that customers successfully book the best travel deals.
FlightNetwork.com's Price Drop Protection plan is a unique, free program, exclusive to FlightNetwork.com customers on all economy flights, vacations and hotels. The Price Drop Deal covers up to a $100 drop on USA and international flights, and unlimited drops on domestic flights, vacations and hotel bookings. If you book with FlightNetwork.com, and the price drops after you book, you will get the difference credited back.
Contacts: Pointman Public Relations Patrick McCaully 416-855-9427 [email protected] Pointman Public Relations Samantha Goldsilver 647-668-8140 [email protected] www.pointmanpr.com
SOURCE: FlightNetwork.com
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