✈️ Airports are awful again

Plus: Hertz's big EV buy | Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Open in app View in browser   Presented By General Motors   Axios What's Next By Alex Fitzpatrick, Jennifer A. Kingson and Joann Muller · Sep 21, 2022 It's not just you — going to the airport is once again a pretty dreadful experience, Joann reports today. (Got a horror story — or a tale of travel success — to share? Send it our way at whatsnext@axios.com.) Join Axios' Andrew Freedman and Alayna Treene today at 12:30 p.m. ET for a virtual event examining what's next for energy reliability. Register here. Today's newsletter is 1,006 words ... 4 minutes.     1 big thing: Everyone hates the airport again Travelers wait at Newark Liberty International Airport. Photo: Jeenah Moon/Getty Images   Even new conveniences like pre-scheduled TSA check-in or self-tagging baggage kiosks can't make up for the biggest problem plaguing airports: overcrowding, Joann Muller reports. Why it matters: It's 2019 all over again. After a brief, blissful period during the pandemic when passengers could breeze through security checkpoints, baggage claims and restaurants, airports are again a source of frustration, according to J.D. Power's latest annual Airport Satisfaction Study. And the misery will likely continue into next year, according to Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power. Driving the news: Overall customer satisfaction with North American airports fell 25 points, for a score of 777 out of 1,000 this year, as passenger volume returned nearly to normal, J.D. Power found. Details: The Airport Satisfaction Study looks at six factors: terminal facilities; airport arrival/departure; security check; check-in/baggage check; baggage claim; and food, beverage and retail. Some of this year's key findings include: Crowds are back to pre-pandemic levels: 58% of airport travelers described the terminal as severely or moderately crowded, nearly in line with 2019. Inflation hit the airport: 24% of travelers said they did not purchase any food or beverages at the airport due to high costs. That's up from 20% in 2021 and 23% in 2019. There's nowhere to park: A shortage of spaces caused a 45-point drop in satisfaction from 2021. Meanwhile, 14% of travelers said parking was more expensive than they expected, up from 12% in 2021 and 11% in 2019. How they ranked: Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport had the highest passenger satisfaction score among major airports, at 800. San Francisco International Airport was second, while Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport tied with New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport for third. Newark Liberty International Airport, which has been plagued with delays over the past year, ranked last — and well below other major airports. The intrigue: Construction has a significant effect on airport satisfaction. New York's LaGuardia, which President Biden once maligned as a "Third World" airport, saw a significant bump — almost 100 points — after opening a gleaming new terminal. What they're saying: "The combination of pent-up demand for air travel, the nationwide labor shortage, and steadily rising prices on everything from jet fuel to a bottle of water has created a scenario in which airports are extremely crowded and passengers are increasingly frustrated," Taylor said. "In some ways, this is a return to normal as larger crowds at airports tend to make travelers more frazzled. But in cases where parking lots are over capacity, gates are standing room only, and restaurants and bars are not even open to offer some reprieve, it is clear that increased capacity in airports can't come soon enough." Share this story.     2. Hertz doubles down on EVs Photo courtesy of GM   Car rental giant Hertz is ordering up to 175,000 General Motors electric vehicles over the next five years, Alex Fitzpatrick reports. Why it matters: Hertz and GM claim it's the "largest expansion of EVs among fleet customers." Details: The vehicles on order include models from GM's Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and BrightDrop brands, with options ranging from compacts to luxury and utility vehicles. Hertz — which already offers EVs from Tesla and Polestar, with Chevy Bolts on the way — wants to electrify a quarter of its rental fleet by the end of 2024. Yes, but: Teaching customers who don't normally drive EVs about the ins and outs of charging and instant torque handling remains an issue. Alex's thought bubble: Renting an EV for work or personal travel can make a ton of sense, depending on the kind of driving you're doing. I'm looking forward to grabbing one the next time I need a rental. Go deeper: How Hertz's big Tesla deal could boost EV adoption     3. Turning vacant land into affordable housing Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios   The city of Phoenix is trying to get developers to build affordable housing on vacant or underutilized land it owns in order to make a dent in the region's worsening housing shortage, Axios' Jessica Boehm reports. Why it matters: As in other cities across the country, Phoenix's housing shortage has created a serious supply problem, pricing out middle- and low-income families. What's happening: Phoenix officials have identified 150 parcels ripe for development, ranging from single-family home lots to large chunks of land for potential apartment complexes. Proposals for affordable or mixed-income housing projects can be submitted starting later this year. Since the city already owns the land, officials are hopeful that the initiative will reduce building costs and make it more attractive for developers to build affordable housing. The big picture: Other cities across the country have experimented with similar programs. The Greater Syracuse Land Bank, for example, purchases dilapidated homes in New York's Onondaga County and works with buyers to renovate them. Read the rest.     A message from General Motors Climate equity is key to reaching a zero-emissions future     Equitable Climate Action is a key component of General Motors' sustainability strategy. The company-wide initiative aims to help create a sustainable, all-electric future that brings GM's current workforce, customers, and communities along. Find out more.     4. 📸 It's elec-truck Photo: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images   American electric semi-truck maker Nikola unveiled the European version of its fuel cell electric Tre truck at an event this week in Hanover, Germany. This version of the Tre, still in the testing phase, is powered by hydrogen and carries enough fuel for about 500 miles of range. Nikola also makes a battery-electric Tre, which is good for about 320 miles of total range and takes just over an hour and a half to charge from 0-80%, per Autoevolution.     5. One fun thing: Boy, that's a lot of ants Photo: VCG/Contributor via Getty Images   The planet has around 2.5 million ants for every human being, says a new study aiming to estimate the insects' total population, Alex reports. That's about 20 quadrillion ants overall. Details: The researchers, who published their work in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, took a look at nearly 500 previous studies to estimate ants' total biomass. They came away with the figure of 12 megatons — meaning, if you could scoop up every ant on Earth and put them all on a scale, that's how much they'd weigh. From there, you can estimate their overall population. The idea of all those ants may be a little unsettling, but they play an essential role in the food chain — and wood-eating varieties can help return dying trees' nutrients to the soil (just keep an eye out for them around your house!).     A message from General Motors GM is driving towards an equitable and more sustainable future     General Motors is developing a range of affordable EVs to help facilitate a seamless transition to a more sustainable, more equitable, all-electric future. Why now: Millions of EVs must hit the road every year to help reach a zero-emissions future. Explore GM's EV portfolio.   A hearty thanks to What's Next copy editor Amy Stern. Was this email forwarded to you? Get your daily dose of What's Next by signing up here for our free newsletter. Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: