“A happy customer is a repeat customer” is a basic rule of business. So it’s great to see regional airports across the globe well represented in ACI World’s 2023 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards, which are awarded in partnership with travel technology company Amadeus.
From 595,000 surveys collected in 2023, 170 ASQ Awards have been won by 90 airports around the world, with facilities including Aeropuerto de El Hierro in Valverde, Spain, Inverness Airport in the UK, Ivato International Airport in Madagascar, Zhangjiakou Ningyuan Airport in China, Guanacaste Airport in Liberia, Costa Rica, Salalah Airport in Oman and Fort McMurray International Airport in Canada among the 17 airports recognised in the “under 2 million passengers per year” category.
A further 17 airports were also recognised in the “2 to 5 million passengers per year” category, underlining the importance of delivering the best possible customer experience. The best airports are chosen by passengers, with over 400 participating airports in 109 countries.
Unlike other programmes in the industry, ASQ’s approach is anchored in live research conducted through surveys administered directly to travellers at the airport. More than 30 performance indicators across key elements of the passenger’s airport experience, including comfort, cleanliness, friendliness and dedication of staff, are covered.
Commenting on the impact of the awards, ACI World Director General, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, said:”The global growth of the programme underscores the trust placed in its scientific and live approach, making ASQ the go-to standard for airport customer experience assessment in the aviation industry. The future success of airports hinges on the unwavering commitment to delivering a stellar customer experience at every touchpoint. In an era where passenger expectations are evolving rapidly, excellence in customer service isn’t just a goal, it’s the key to ensuring airports remain not just gateways, but memorable destinations in themselves.”
Meanwhile, Amadeus EVP Airport and Airline Operations, Rudy Daniello said: “It is encouraging to see continued commitment to customer experience at airports across the world demonstrated again by the ASQ Awards. Over the past few years many airports have applied technologies like self-service and biometrics to improve the experience for passengers across key airport touchpoints. What we’re seeing now is a desire to move to the next level by working more collaboratively with airlines and other partners to better manage the impact of disruption. The management of disruptions is a defining issue for us passengers so we look forward to working closely with the industry as it develops new approaches that deliver improved outcomes for passengers.”
