Poll: Calgary International Airport Deemed Least Loathsome

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - June 10, 2013) - It's no fun to be deemed the worst at anything, but there's consolation in being the 'least worst.' Such is the case for Calgary International Airport, based on a new poll by FlightNetwork.com ranking the nation's worst airports.

This was the third year of the survey, which measures traveller opinions on airport improvements, pet peeves and overall service in Canada's five highest-traffic airports. While Calgary qualified for the short list, only 3.5% of respondents deemed it 'the worst' Canadian airport, well behind Toronto Pearson (71.3%), Montreal Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport (12.8%), Vancouver International Airport (8.3%), and Edmonton International Airport (4.0%).

Many upgrades at Canada's busiest airports this year sought to address the most common complaints of travelers. The FlightNetwork.com poll identified the top voyage vexations: long lines at check-in (40.4%), delays clearing security (28.5%), long waits retrieving baggage (14.8%), meager food and drink options (11.1%), and lack of shopping options (5.5%).

Calgary addressed wait times this year with the addition of a Trusted Traveller/Nexus line, greatly diminishing wait-times for travellers clearing customs. This was deemed the Best Canadian Airport Improvement by 10.2% of respondents. Other popular perks from the past year included the addition of self-serve border clearance for Canadian citizens, as well as new dining options and tabletop iPads (for food orders and flight tracking) at Toronto Pearson. Vancouver's new high-speed baggage system was chosen as the best Canadian airport improvement with 27.6% of votes.

"Calgary is clearly doing a good job keeping travellers happy," said Naman Budhdeo, CEO of FlightNetwork.com. "It ranks among the five busiest airports in the country, but manages to keep people moving and relevantly content, while continually looking for ways to make improvements."

The FlightNetwork.com poll was conducted through Google Consumer Surveys. Each question received approximately 1000 unique responses from Canadian residents and offered demographic breakdowns. Access to specific poll insights is available in an infographic and in FlightNetwork.com's blog post.

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 is unlimited on all domestic, USA and international flights, as well as vacations and hotel bookings. If you book with FlightNetwork.com, and the price drops after you book, you will get the difference credited back.