Again being chosen as the number one airport in the country for customer satisfaction came as somewhat of an unexpected reward for William P. Hobby Airport. Mid-celebration on this, its 80th anniversary year, the airport was selected as the preferred airport in the nation by travelers surveyed in a J.D. Powers and Associates study.

Last year, Hobby also topped the same list of smaller airports – those serving less than 10 million passengers per year – in the United States.

For airport manager Mary Case, the consecutive recognition is a sign that Hobby is moving in the right direction.

“Earning this ranking for the second year in a row is a tremendous honor for all of us here at Hobby Airport,” says Case. “This being our anniversary year makes it all the more significant. Customer satisfaction has always been our main focus and travelers can rest assured we will continue striving to exceed their expectations in the future.”

Previously known as Houston Municipal Airport, Hobby first opened its doors as a private airport in 1927. It was purchased by the City of Houston in 1937 and has been serving the local region for eight decades now. Last year, more than 8.5 million travelers passed through the airport.

In the 2007 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, released earlier this week, J.D. Powers and Associates measured overall airport satisfaction in three segments: large airports (30 million or more passengers per year), medium airports (10 million to 30 million passengers per year), and small airports (less than 10 million passengers per year).

Responses were based on more than 10,200 passengers who took a flight between May 2006 and April 2007.Passengers evaluated up to two different airports – their departing and arriving airport – for a total of more than 17,400 evaluations.

Hobby Airport ranked first in the nation for smaller airports.