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4 G-View GPLUS AUG 24 - AUG 30, 2013 LGBI Airport Scores Bags 2nd place in Customer Satisfaction index. rahul chanda People outside the Northeast might think that this region is still underdeveloped to move around, but there is good news for Guwahatians, who can feel proud about the fact that the Guwahati Airport came second in customer satisfaction among other national airports. According to a survey of 11 airports in the country, conducted by the Airports Council International (ACI), the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad is the best, followed by Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati. The survey was carried out at the 11 airports run by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) - Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Goa, Ahmedabad, Pune, Lucknow, Srinagar, Calicut, Guwahati and Trivandrum. Among these airports, Ahmedabad stood first with the satisfaction index of 4.13 on a scale of 5 followed by Guwahati, Lucknow and Srinagar. ACI is an international body of the confederation of airports, which carries out the survey independently and offers indices of satisfaction based on the responses provided by passengers. To check the real scenario, we visited the airport and tried to conduct a review on our own. Employees’ take As the LGBI Airport is maintained by the employees of the Airports Authority of India, their efforts are the first factors which has made the achievement possible. Airports Authority Employees Union Regional Secretary Pabitra Das said, “People outside Northeast think that Guwahati, Assam and Northeast as a whole is still a jungle and is underdeveloped. Our main goal is to compete with other so-called developed places and prove that we are on the same level. Thinking on those lines, we have been working for years to establish an identity in the national scenario. Pursuing the central management, in 2011 we got the opportunity to organise a National football tournament which was held at the Sarusajai stadium. The Central HQ based in Delhi was so impressed by our conduct that the football tournament was again held in Guwahati in 2012, and this time in the Judge’s Field.” Total airports in India 126 In Guwahati 70 Every day flight movement Total passengers in the month of June 430538 People waiting for transport ( L) and passengers (R) at the airport Das said, “After proving ourselves nationally in organising activities, after 100 years of the origin of AAI, on the 4th, 5th and 6th of August this year, for the first time, we organised the All India conference of AAI in Guwahati. Delegates from 126 airports in India participated and more than 800 people were a part of the conference. It was a big success. Hence, by organising these events we have proved that we are no lesser than anyone. Customer satisfaction is our main aim. We are a service oriented organisation and not a product and so, providing the best service to our customers is our duty.” If the results have been so encouraging, then why is the government planning to privatise the airport? Das says that “the Government has its own plans. If you remember, flight fares to Delhi were never so expensive before, but after the Delhi airport was privatised, passengers have to pay additional service charges and the ticket prices have gone up. The government brags that they want to develop the airport, but why don’t they develop the city first. If they think that privatising can develop the airport, I say let’s have a competition. Let the private players run an area, and we too run a part. People will then see who is better.” He further cited the example
GPLUS AUG 24 - AUG 30, 2013 5 G-View The arrival area of the LGBI Airport Passengers going through a security check of Hyderabad and said, “In Hyderabad what the government did is close down the old airport run by AAI, and started running a different airport which is privatised. This way, people cannot differentiate, as there is no option available. Actually, the main concept of privatisation is providing the properties, mainly land, to the big private players and gaining while leasing the property. We are totally against privatisation and can compete more efficiently in the national scenario as a government body.” The authority W e wanted to get the facts s t r a i g h t from the horse’s m o u t h and so, after talking to the employees union, we paid a visit to the LGBI Airport Director, Atul Dikshit. He said, “Customer satisfaction survey happens quarterly every year. There are 34 points; 17 points are for other agencies like security and CISF and we have to co-ordinate with everyone. There are certain criterias like how courteous and expeditious the service is, total time taken for check in, receiving of luggage, cleanliness, if the food and other products available at the airport provides value for money and so on.” But can the Guwahati airport ever capture the number one position? Dikshit says, “It can be done by a collective effort. As a simple example, no matter how much we try, people do spit after having paan. Not everybody but there are people who do it, even workers. So, everybody has to be responsible to keep the surroundings clean. There are some external factors as well which matters, like the travel time to the city from the airport, parking facilities, water logging and so on, which is not taken care by us. Ahmedabad bagged the first position this time because they also acquired a new building recently which matters.” He further added that people should feel proud to visit the airport and with a collaborated effort, we can set a benchmark. Customers IIPM student Ankush Vohra said, “I have arrived from Delhi and I feel that the service provided at Guwahati Airport is the best. I feel very safe here and it is not very crowded like the other airports. The staff have provided good service to us.” A corporate sector employee Tilak Raj, who visited Guwahati for the first time said, “I am not that happy here.” Expressing his reason for unhappiness, he said, “My CDMA mobile phone is not working and I can’t even see a PCO. I have come from Hyderabad and there is no comparison between these two airports.” A frequent flier, Tapeshwar Tyagi feels LGBI airport cannot be second as it still has to be upgraded. He said, “Scanning of luggage is still manual here. Counters are less and the toilets are definitely not up to the mark. They have fewer scanners here compared to other airports. The departure at the first floor is good but the one on the ground floor requires renovation. So, there’s still a long way to go.” Spicejet employee Urvashi Talukdar feels that to improve the service quality here, it has still to be upgraded. She said, “The flight loads should be increased. At present we are providing food on a flight, which is paid. I think it should be free. There is a lack of facilities in the airport which can be improved.” An IIT research scholar Kawaldeep Kaur said, “We are yet to meet the standards. I came to receive someone and I have been standing outside the arrival gate for the last half an hour as there is no place to sit. There are no good restaurants outside where I can wait.” In spite of the contrasting views that people have, the fact is that the LGBI airport is second in customer service if the survey conducted by ACI is credible. There is also the debate about the privatisation of the airport. Will it help the passengers or it is a money making scheme? The government will have its own view, but the employees are also right in this regard as they want to compete with others. But, isn’t it true that before developing the airport, the government should develop the city so that the inflow of people increases and more and more people realise that the region is not underdeveloped? Shouldn’t the traffic chaos be managed so that the passengers can reach the airport on time? When will the Guwahati airport become one of the best not only in customer service but all around?
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