Cork Airport Top In Global Passenger Survey
Cork Airport has placed first for overall customer satisfaction in a respected global survey of passengers.
Cork Airport saw off all contenders in the latest Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Regional survey, which is carried out globally on behalf of Airports Council International (ACI).
The passenger survey, which was undertaken in the summer, measured customer satisfaction across eight categories in 61 regional airports worldwide. Cork Airport scored highest of all the airports, and was ranked as the world’s best regional airport for customer service by both business and leisure travellers.
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar congratulated Cork Airport on achieving this top position for customer service among regional airports globally. “This is a fantastic achievement by Cork Airport and I would like to compliment both the management team and the staff on their world-beating performance in this new survey,” he said.
Commenting on the survey results, Cork Airport Director, Niall MacCarthy said, “We are absolutely delighted that Cork Airport has been placed in first in the world for customer satisfaction in regional airports by this independent study. Our customers have always known that Cork Airport delivers the best customer service at any airport in Ireland, now they know we’re also the best in the world.This ranking is a testimony to the hard work and diligence of all the team at Cork Airport.”
The ASQ Regional survey found that Cork Airport excelled with the highest levels of passenger satisfaction across all of its peer airports. Areas surveyed included courtesy and helpfulness of airport staff, cleanliness, availability of information, security and ease of access.
“We offer the highest levels of customer service to 2.4 million passengers across 50 routes every year and with a new East Midlands service starting in November, another 60,000 people per year will experience that level of service,” Mr MacCarthy said.
A number of initiatives have been introduced in Cork Airport over the past six months, which have proven a huge success with passengers and have also helped the airport achieve it excellent customer offering.
Customer feedback terminals have been installed at various locations in Cork Airport and these provide valuable information on the customer experience, from departure to the bathroom facilities. A new children’s play area and The Last Call airside bar, both of which opened this year, have also improved the customer experience.
“Lots of small customer service initiatives play an important role in making the passenger experience at the airport a more pleasant one,” according to Mr MacCarthy. “Our Summer of Song competition was a huge hit with passengers, with 12 acts performing at the airport over a number of weeks and passengers voting for their favourite,” he added.
A recent Munster Schools Art Competition also proved very popular with more than 1,200 entries from schools across the province. “The winners are currently being exhibited in the terminal alongside our popular Faces of Cork exhibition and it’s these initiatives that help Cork Airport stand out from our peers.”
The team at Cork Airport has also been working hard to secure new services for the region. “There will be additional announcements in the coming months and we are confident of further passenger growth across all airlines in 2014,” Mr MacCarthy said.
NOTES TO EDITOR
Cork Airport is the international gateway to the south of Ireland. Welcoming over 7,000 passengers a day, and more than 15,000 passengers a day in peak season, it is the country’s second busiest airport after Dublin. More than 2.4 million passengers travel through the airport each year, flying to over 50 destinations across Europe.
Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Survey is the world’s leading airport customer satisfaction benchmark programme with more than 200 airports in more than 50 countries surveying their passengers every month of the year. All airports use the same questionnaire and follow the same methodology. ASQ’s highly detailed sample plan tailored to each airport’s traffic ensures fully comparable results.Each participating airport receives the data from all other participating airports allowing it to identify best practice and to measure its own performance. ASQ Regional is a sister programme of the Airport Service Quality Survey, specifically designed for regional airports. Participating airports survey twice a year, using the same methodology and questionnaire as the main ASQ Survey.
Airports Council International (ACI) is the international association of the world’s airports. It is a non-profit organisation, whose prime purpose is to foster co-operation among its member airports and with other partners in world aviation, including governments, airlines and aircraft manufacturers. Through this co-operation, ACI makes a significant contribution to providing an air transport system that is safe, secure, efficient and environmentally compatible.