Airports Risk $695 Million in Revenue From Poor Passenger Experience, New Study Reveals

New AI-driven research has uncovered a critical ‘emotional experience gap’ at America’s busiest airports, demonstrating millions of dollars at risk globally.

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND, UNITED KINGDOM, May 14, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- New AI-driven research has uncovered a critical ‘emotional experience gap’ at America’s busiest airports, putting $695 million in annual revenue at risk due to poor passenger experiences.

The study from Adoreboard, a pioneer in predictive insight using AI technology, analyzed over 20,000 passenger reviews across the five busiest U.S. airports. It reveals exactly where and why travelers report frustration, erosion of trust, and diminished confidence in airport experiences.

Using advanced AI topic modeling, the study "Airport Revenue at Risk: $695 Million Lost Through Emotional Experience Gaps" pinpoints check-in and security as peak areas of passenger anger, affecting around 15% of journeys.

The study finds that just over one-third of passengers want airports to reprioritise providing better dining options, particularly for late night travellers, better training for rude staff, and improved airport cleanliness. One in four passengers express 13% more anger due to poor parking or transportation, airport navigation or security process compared to the overall benchmark.

Chris Johnston, Chief Executive of Adoreboard, which conducted the study says that airports need to re-imagine the overall passenger journey given consistent challenges faced by passengers.

“We are seeing that Trust, a critical component in passenger confidence, decreases by 6% at check-in and security due to process, technology and people challenges. This doesn’t bode well for the overall customer journey when we know that for every 10 extra minutes spent in security reduces retail spending by 30%. The findings provide a wake-up call for airports to re-imagine a customer journey that inspires joy not anger.”

The report insights show passengers with high trust spend more, remain loyal, and stay calmer during disruptions. In contrast, trust breaches leave lasting negative impressions and harm brand reputation.

"A key finding is the concept of an emotional experience gap between what the passenger expects and what the airport delivers," said David Pinder of Engine Service Design, an aviation CX expert who advises some of the world's leading airports. "This isn’t merely about aesthetics—it’s about creating seamless journeys that align with passenger needs, drive commercial outcomes, and ultimately differentiate in a crowded marketplace."

The study employed AI-driven emotion analysis to extract insights from unstructured text data, identifying key themes, trends and pain points affecting passenger satisfaction. Each theme is quantified on an emotional index ranging from -100 to +100. The report highlights trust and anger as the emotions most closely tied to passenger reviews and ratings.

Adoreboard's methodology goes beyond traditional sentiment analysis by linking emotional intensity to specific touchpoints and translating this into financial impact through Revenue at Risk (RaR) modeling, giving airport leaders clear, actionable paths to protect and grow revenue.

Founded at Queen’s University Belfast, Adoreboard turns emotion science into measurable business results. Its platform enables organizations to prioritize actions based on emotional analysis—not just sentiment.

The study calls for airports to document their current "as is" state to identify critical transformation opportunities—especially check-in and security—where concentrated efforts will yield the highest impact on overall airport experience.

The full research report includes detailed recommendations for airport executives looking to enhance passenger experience and protect revenue in an increasingly competitive market. The full report and methodology can be accessed at: https://adoreboard.com/download/airports-report-2025

ENDS


Notes to editors:
* For further information contact Chris Johnston on Linkedin or +44 28 9097 3887.
* The research analysed passenger reviews from Atlanta (ATL), Denver (DEN), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD) airports.
* A total of 20,000 online reviews were collected providing a sample size that provides a 95% confidence level in the key findings based on sample size.
* Research by AeroClould found that for every 10 extra minutes spent in security reduces retail spending by 30%.

Chris Johnston
Adoreboard
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn