10 Things Airports Won't Tell You

1. “The recession hasn’t been all bad for air travelers.”

THE TALK COMING out of U.S. airports over the past year has been mostly gloomy. With passenger counts down more than 9 percent in the first four months of 2009, compared with the same period a year ago, a number of the country’s approximately 565 commercial airports are tabling construction, raising landing fees for airlines and upping parking rates for passengers. But in many ways, the recession has made airports a nicer place for frequent travelers. No construction means easier navigation through terminals. The passenger decline has reduced the rate of delays, to 22 percent of all flights in the second half of 2008, down from 27 percent in the second half of 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. As a result, customer complaints at airports also fell 19 percent in 2008 from the previous year.

Security lines are indeed shorter, and delays are perceptibly down, says industry consultant David Rowell. But the structural deficiencies that caused the delays, like an outdated air traffic control system, still remain. “Until they bring [the system] kicking and screaming into the 21st century, more flights will mean more delays,” he says.

2. “The smaller we are, the better we treat you.”

WHEN IT COMES to airports, bigger isn’t always better. Frequent flier Jeff Stollman, a Philadelphia consultant, became a devotee of New York’s Westchester County Airport when he was making regular trips to visit a client there a few years ago. He chose it over LaGuardia even though Westchester had fewer scheduling options. Why? The terminals were easy to get to, and the rental-car office was steps from the gate. Stollman says the benefits of small airports boil down to time. “It was infinitely faster in every way,” Stollman says.

Friendlier staff and shorter lines are other reasons travelers say they prefer small airports. In fact, those serving fewer than 10 million people a year consistently edge out large airports—those serving 30 million–plus a year—in an annual customer-service survey by J.D. Power & Associates. The survey asks about parking, ticketing, security, terminal experience and food, among other things. Roger Dalraine of Bardstown, Ky., who makes regular trips to England, flies into Birmingham or Bristol, avoiding Heathrow. “I’m looking to get away from the cattle truck and get back to flying the way it used to be,” he says.

3. “If you want to be safe, you’ll have to give up some privacy.”

WE ALL WANT TO be safer when flying, but more effective security likely means more invasive procedures for passengers. The current debate centers on “advanced imaging technology”—essentially, full-body scanners—which sees through passengers’ clothing to find nonmetal weapons. They’re used at 21 U.S. airports in cities like Los Angeles, Baltimore and Atlanta; so far they’re used mostly as secondary security, instead of a pat-down. But that could change. (A spokesperson says the Transportation Security Administration won’t speculate about future use of the technology.)

In response, a group of privacy organizations has demanded tighter regulations of the machines, including laws about informing passengers and ensuring prompt image deletion. The TSA says there are explanatory signs posted, machines can’t store images, and officers never see passengers being scanned. But that doesn’t impress Lillie Coney, associate director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. “Agencies don’t work well with fuzzy,” she says. “They need rules.” Next up: technology that tracks pulse, skin temperature and breathing (still in testing).