CUSTOMER SERVICE - Airports Council International

ACI information brief
MARCH 2008
CUSTOMER SERVICE
www.aci.aero
Excellent customer service is one of the greatest assets for an airport
in today’s competitive environment. There are many factors that can
help an airport to build its customer base, and customer service can be
a determining factor in the success of an entire operation. Connecting
passengers, who account for more than 50 percent of traffic at some
large hub airports, have a choice of transit hubs when planning their
travel. Discerning customers will pick the airport that can offer the most
seamless and efficient journey.
Service quality for passengers at airports has been a
key concern of ACI since it was founded in 1991. Service
quality standards are essential ingredients in providing
a more pleasant and seamless airport experience. The
increasingly competitive environment in which airports
operate prompted the ACI World Governing Board to define
customer service as one of six primary targets of ACI
activities.
An airport creates the traveller’s first and last impression
of a city or country, and it is a known fact that a pleasant
airport experience encourages spending and influences
future travel plans. With a large portion of revenues coming
from non-aeronautical sources, customer satisfaction also
makes good business sense.
At the same time, airlines are also airport “customers”. As
the airlines modify, expand and improve their services, they
want to be sure that airports deliver services that are of
consistent quality to match the airline offering.
In many locations, governments monitor airport performance
closely, which is yet another reason for airports to make
sure that they compare favourably to other airports.
This is why benchmarking is a key tool for making sure that
the final product remains in line with these diverse needs
and why ACI encourages its members to engage in welldesigned
measurement tools that give them feedback on
what the customer thinks.
Why benchmark?
At the core of modern business management and
performance benchmarking is the concept that “what
you cannot measure, you cannot manage.” A benchmark
provides a measure to compare productivity and efficiency,
evaluate specific processes, policies, and strategies and
assess overall organisational performance.
Organisations need goals and targets for their management,
their stakeholders and their employees: benchmarks are
tools which show where the organisation is meeting its
objectives, and where it is not.
“The most recent ACI Global
Traffic Forecast indicates that
over nine billion passengers
a year will use the world’s
airports by 2025, up from
4.4 billion in 2006. At the
same time, passengers
and shippers expect to get
good service delivered in
a courteous, timely and
efficient manner. Their input
on how we are performing,
and the degree to which we
meet their expectations, is
some of the most valuable
input an airport operator can
get. It helps management
teams in prioritising
service improvements and
investments that correspond
to practical needs.”
- Robert J Aaronson

ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Programme
The ACI ASQ programme consists of three core elements,
each designed to help airports improve and maintain
their customer service quality standards, by reporting on
the experience of passengers, actual service delivery
performance and reviewing the service quality management
system.
1.
2.
3.
ASQ Survey – this surveys passengers on their
perception of an airport’s service quality on a quarterly
basis, benchmarking against the other 100 airports
in the programme. A measurement of passenger
perception.
ASQ Assured – this certification programme
defines best practice service quality management.
It then audits an airport against that benchmark. A
measurement of the management of service quality.
ASQ Performance (from 2008) – this is an analysis
of the actual service delivery performance in key
indicator points, measuring actual data of the length
of queues and the time it take for baggage to be
delivered etc. A measurement of real data.
Together, these three programmes will provide an all-round
assessment of an airport’s customer service and provide
opportunities for improvement.
ASQ Survey
Over 100 airports from all regions worldwide participate
in the ASQ Survey year-round. This consists of a customer
opinion survey carried out at the airport, including both
international and domestic travellers, and aimed at
capturing their immediate impressions of specific service
factors that make up their airport experience, from arrival
to departure at the gate.
The programme provides multi-dimensional benchmarking
of an airport’s service performance with airports of similar
size, in the same region, over time, and on a worldwide
basis. The ASQ assesses and benchmarks 34 service items
of a passengers’ on-the-day airport experience, including:
•
•
•
•
•
Navigation (flight information screens, signposting,
walking distances)
Airport services and facilities (restaurants, shopping
facilities, washrooms)
Security and Immigration (helpfulness of staff, waiting
time at security inspection)
Airport environment (cleanliness, ambience)
Arrivals services (speed of baggage delivery, customs
inspection)
A hassle-free journey is the dream of every traveller. By
better understanding what the passenger perceives to be
negative, airports can set about to rectify the situation to
the best of their ability.
All of the ASQ participants can learn from their peers’
experience, including leading world class airports, and gain
additional benefits that help them to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Optimise investments efforts
Monitor the performance of suppliers
Share best practice with other airports
Assess the performance of management/ staff
Airport marketing
ASQ Assured
This part of the programme benchmarks
an airport’s passenger service quality
management system and processes
to airport industry best practice. The
ASQ Assured scheme uses a self
assessment approach verified by an
ACI on-site audit. Those airport that
meet best practice in service quality
management and demonstrate a commitment
to continual improvement receive certification.
ASQ Assured is designed to be performance based and
non-prescriptive. It provides a process to drive continual
improvement in service quality and strengthen the customer
focused management culture. It is designed to provide an
industry benchmark against best practice and to identify
opportunities to improve effectiveness and efficiency.
Following certification, an airport sets itself performance
improvement objectives for the next year and at the end
of this period ACI conducts a progress audit. In this way,
airports are able to use the scheme to plan and measure
improvements in service quality, year after year.
ASQ Performance
ASQ Performance is a benchmarking programme which
measures the levels of service delivered by an airport and
puts those measures into context through comparison
with other airports and with passenger satisfaction.
ASQ Performance covers more than 30 key performance
indicators throughout the airport. Examples include
‘waiting time at check-in’ and ‘delivery time of first bag
– last bag’.
ASQ Survey participants (cf. 1 March 2008)
Americas (31): Austin, Atlanta, Bermuda, Calgary,
Cancun, Cleveland, Curacao, Dallas, Denver, Detroit,
Edmonton, Guayaquil, Halifax, Houston HOU, Houston
IAH, Jacksonville, Lima, Mexico City, Minneapolis,
Montreal, Oakland, Ottawa, Port Columbus, Port of
Spain, San Diego, San José SJO, Toronto, Vancouver,
Washington Dulles, Washington DCA, Winnipeg.
Europe (47): Amsterdam, Aberdeen, Athens, Bergen,
Birmingham, Brussels, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin,
East Midlands, Edinburgh, Faro, Frankfurt, Funchal,
Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Helsinki, Keflavik, Krakow,
Lisbon, London LGW, London LHR, London STN, Luton,
Lyon, Madrid, Malta, Manchester, Milan Malpensa,
Milan Linate, Moscow DME, Munich, Oslo, Palma,
Paris CDG, Paris ORY, Ponta Delgada, Porto, Rome FCO,
Southampton, Stavanger, Stockholm, Trondheim, Venice,
Vienna, Zurich.
Asia-Pacific (21): Adelaide, Auckland, Bangkok,
Beijing, Cairns, Chennai, Christchurch, Guangzhou,
Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Seoul ICN, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur,
Melbourne, Mumbai, Nagoya, New Delhi, Singapore,
Shanghai PVG, Sydney, Taipei.
Africa (8): Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port
Elizabeth, George, East London, Nairobi, Cairo.
Middle East (5): Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Muscat, Tel
Aviv.
2007 ASQ Survey
award results:
Best airport worldwide
Incheon
Best domestic airport
Halifax
0-5 million passengers
Halifax
5-15 million passengers
Nagoya
15-25 million passengers
Kuala Lumpur
25-40 million passengers
Incheon
40+ million passengers
Hong Kong
www.airportservicequality.aero