New Zealand’s Best and Worst Airports Revealed

MEDIA RELEASE
6 DECEMBER 2016

New Zealand’s Best and Worst Airports Revealed

Cheapflights research shows Christchurch leads the nation while Auckland ranks last

As more than 250,000 Kiwis get set to experience the best and worst of Australian airports this Christmas, new #AirportLife research from Cheapflights.co.nz reveals the rankings of our airports nationwide.

Reviewing the main departure points across New Zealand, the survey found Queenstown International is our favourite terminal, receiving the highest marks (8 out of 10 on average) for general cleanliness, the range of bars and restaurants, and the all-important state of the bathrooms.

Auckland Domestic Airport was left languishing in bottom spot (7.1 out of 10), behind Christchurch and Wellington Domestic airports (both 7.3 out of 10), with the check-in process, the wait at baggage claim and the friendliness of airport staff failing to take-off with travellers.

Nathan Graham, Regional Sales Manager at Cheapflights ANZ, said: “December is consistently the busiest month for travel and airports are set to feel the pressure of the silly season. A third (34 per cent) of Kiwis are looking to depart the week before Christmas, with Auckland Airport (78 per cent) expecting the most passenger numbers.

“Overall, travellers are generally content with the big terminals across the country, which scored 7.5 out of 10 on average. The majority (76 per cent) have a positive airport experience, with 58 per cent of respondents saying their most recent visit was ‘pleasant enough’.”

Kiwis are most impressed by the general cleanliness (8.1 out of 10) of local airports, however there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to shopping facilities (6.9 out of 10). And with 14 per cent of people admitting that visiting duty free is a favourite way to pass the time before boarding, expectations are high.

Along with shopping, the most enjoyable airport activities are plane spotting (25 per cent) and getting a bite to eat (34 per cent), although a third of respondents (31 per cent) said terminal food and drink is overpriced.

“Having undergone upgrades to provide fresh facilities in recent years, it’s no wonder Queenstown airport is impressing travellers. And with a raft of site improvements underway at Auckland as well as regional hubs like Rotorua and Nelson, it’s clear that airports are realising that they need to create an environment where people – even those not flying – want to spend time.

“Beyond physical upgrades, we expect to see a strong focus on streamlining boarding and check-in processes to improve the end-to-end visitor experience. Competition for the consumer traffic and spend is definitely heating up,” Mr Graham said.

Flight delays and unruly kids (both 21 per cent) are the least favourite parts of #AirportLife. Queuing is a major pain point at Auckland International Airport (41 per cent) and parking is a hassle at Auckland Domestic Airport (29 per cent) and Christchurch Domestic Airport (23 per cent). Flight delays are most likely to impact Auckland Domestic Airport fliers (31 per cent).

Additional findings from the #AirportLife survey include:
• Four per cent of travellers are looking for love in airports, with Dunedun Domestic Airport (11 per cent) and Queenstown Domestic Airport (nine per cent) where people are most likely to search for romance.
• Plane spotting is a favourite way to pass the time at Auckland International Airport (28 per cent), Christchurch Domestic Airport (27 per cent), Queenstown Domestic Airport (23 per cent) and Darwin international Airport (21 per cent).
• Fliers passing through Christchurch Domestic and Auckland International Airport are the most likely to lap up the luxury of a premium airport lounge (12 per cent and 10 per cent respectively).
• Some of the first to complain about Wi-Fi connections, it’s those from Wellington International Airport (34 per cent), Queenstown International Airport (33 per cent), Christchurch International Airport (27 per cent) and Auckland International Airport (25 per cent) who insist on browsing the internet before take-off.

For more information or to search your next holiday, visit Cheapflights.co.nz, and to join the conversation online #AirportLife.

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*ABOUT THE RESEARCH
• The #AirportLife research was commission by Cheapflights to explore travellers’ airport habits, behaviours and preferences.
• 308 New Zealanders from a nationally representative sample completed the survey.
• The online survey was undertaken between Saturday 24 September and Friday 30 September.
• Questions and results were broken into three parts, with airport rankings making up the third segment.
• In this segment, researchers asked holidaymakers to rank New Zealand’s top 10 terminals against 12 key criteria, including general cleanliness, shopping, toilets, bar and restaurant section, check-in process, friendliness of staff, family-friendly facilities, speed and ease of passing through security, the speed and ease of passport control, waiting for baggage claim, the airport lounge and Wi-Fi access.
• The airports reviewed were Auckland International Airport, Auckland Domestic Airport, Christchurch International Airport, Christchurch Domestic Airport, Wellington International Airport, Wellington Domestic Airport, Queenstown International Airport, Queenstown Domestic Airport, Dunedin International Airport and Dunedin Domestic Airport.

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