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Flying out of GRR might be a bit more expensive

luma

By luma
in Grand Rapids Coffee House

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luma Unincorporated Area

luma

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US News and World report just published a list of the US' most miserable airports. With the help of the Boyd Group and data from the FAA, they've developed a Misery Index, which includes the fill rate of departing flights and the percentage of on-time departures.

The worst airport in the list? Detroit Metro. Yeah, that was a tough pick. The next? Chicago O'Hare, with an amazing (and by "amazing" I mean "horrendous") on-time departure rate of %58.

Suddenly the premium to fly out of GRR doesn't seem as bad.

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Veloise City

Veloise

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US News and World report just published a list of the US' most miserable airports. With the help of the Boyd Group and data from the FAA, they've developed a Misery Index, which includes the fill rate of departing flights and the percentage of on-time departures.

The worst airport in the list? Detroit Metro. Yeah, that was a tough pick. The next? Chicago O'Hare, with an amazing (and by "amazing" I mean "horrendous") on-time departure rate of %58.

Suddenly the premium to fly out of GRR doesn't seem as bad.

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Chelle D Unincorporated Area

Chelle D

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We usually try to fly out of GRR just to avoid driving elsewhere. Most of the time the $ saved is not worth the hassle and the gas money to go to Detroit or Chicago. That being said, most of the time we are flying international or picking someone up who flew in from Europe and I think the O'Hare International terminal is nice and easy to navigate. Then again, it is tiny compared to the rest of the airport.

I like living in a city with an airport that is not tiny, but not overwhelming. I just wish my Danish in-laws would fly into GRR so I could avoid the traffic in Chicago, but MIL is scared of the tiny planes she usually gets put on to come into GRR after a layover in another US location.

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luma Unincorporated Area

luma

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I spent several hours laid over in DTW's new MacNamara terminal yesterday (that's the one with the tunnel). Overheard a cell phone conversation claiming that DTW was in the top worst airports. Nope, it's the airline often called "Northworst" that's so bad. That new terminal is fantastic.

Moving sidewalks. The Tunnel. Lots of restaurants and retail. Amazing souvenirs for Detroit and Michigan. Some of the food was overpriced but some of it was not. Freep for fifty cents, same as outside.

Now, DTW's TSA at that same lovely new terminal...they'd win an award.

My admin had suggested driving to DTW so I wouldn't have a layover. No thanks; one of the joys of Kent County is flying out of our small friendly airport.

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Veloise City

Veloise

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It's not really the quality of the facilities themselves being measured, it's being packed in like sardines and leaving late (and thus potentially missing connectors). I personally don't care if they give me free beer and foot massages - it's not worth a damn if I'm stuffed into a cramped plane and missing connection flights.
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suydam Hamlet

suydam

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Lists schmists....

DTW ranked 2nd nationally in a JD Power customer satisfaction survey this year.

http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/rele...aspx?ID=2007077

If you've flown out of the new terminal you already know why. DTW is as nice or nicer than nearly any other large airport you'll fly out of (if you're in the new terminal at least). It blows away Midway, LaGuardia, Newark, Philly, JFK at least (all of which I frequent).

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PBJ Burg

PBJ

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Lists schmists....

DTW ranked 2nd nationally in a JD Power customer satisfaction survey this year.

http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/rele...aspx?ID=2007077

If you've flown out of the new terminal you already know why. DTW is as nice or nicer than nearly any other large airport you'll fly out of (if you're in the new terminal at least). It blows away Midway, LaGuardia, Newark, Philly, JFK at least (all of which I frequent).

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luma Unincorporated Area

luma

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Not that this matters too much for GRR users, as a fairly substantial proportion of outbound flights from GRR wind up connecting in DTW or ORD anyway :P Of course, that might be because I'm continuously flying NWA and United...

Continental's direct flight to Houston from GRR is a godsend though!

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Veloise City

Veloise

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Memo to self: take a pic of the tunnel on the flip-flop.

ETA:

dtw-02.jpg

I'll be tossing more up in the Detroit forum.

My 10:30 pm flight (about a 90-minute layover scheduled) finally left about 12:15 am. They had to get a pilot from Boston!!! When my admin had suggested that I drive to DTW, I said no...but I think the solution is to just not fly Northworst.

When they announced the Boston thing, I started asking anyone in a pilot shirt about taking us home to GR. One told me some horrendous stories about NWA's executive compensation...see Chuck Conaway and K-Mart...

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