Sunport generates happy flyers
Sunny cities, midsize airports score higher in contentment
The formula for being a happy flyer? Follow the sun and avoid big-city airports.
New data released this week by Tripit, a travel-organizing app, said cities with pleasant weather and midize airports like Albuquerque score high with air travelers. The happiest travelers are those going through sun-drenched metros across the nation, from Hawaii to Arizona to New Mexico to Florida.
The aptly named Albuquerque International Sunport landed No. 10 on a list that tracks sunny-dispositioned travelers either coming home or vacationing. Honolulu topped the list as the place with the happiest air passengers, followed by Phoenix, where sunny skies are always a given.
The rankings also showed that good things can come in smaller packages. Sunport ranked No. 18 of the top 20 arrival airports, according to the
Tripit report, which examined more than 575,000 flight ratings from 2016 and 2017. “The majority of travelers that arrived and departed from airports that are not the largest airport hubs tended to rate their flights higher,” according to the report.
“Nothing beats an overnight at a megahub like (Chicago’s) O’Hare because of a snowstorm,” joked Mayor Richard Berry, decidedly proud of Sunport’s high marks and himself a frequent flyer. “Coming home is always a pleasure,” he said of Albuquerque’s airport, which he likened to others in “mid-major cities” around the county, such as Kansas City, Mo., Nashville and Tampa.
“The weather (here) is great, obviously,” said Berry, who enjoys talking to fellow passengers on flights in and out of Albuquerque. He not only gets positive comments about the blue skies and sunshine, but also about the state’s unique culture, history and food. Visitors tell him how nice the locals are, and how easy it is to negotiate their way around the Sunport.
“It’s invariably on the order of ‘We love your airport,’” said Berry of a facility that welcomes 5 million travelers a year. “Sunport is a great front porch for our community.”