RUNNING ACI WORLD HEAD NEWS
World in motion Continuing to prioritise customer service and listening to the needs of passengers is more important than ever in these uncertain times, writes corporate affairs manager, Bojana Jeremic.
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ith many borders still closed and travel restrictions in place, the recovery process and kick-starting travel is taking longer than we had anticipated. It is clear that people want to travel again, but there is also concern about how they can navigate travel safely, and which restrictions they will be subjected when they fly. According to the ASQ Global Traveller Survey, when asked at the end of 2020, 48% of travellers considered themselves likely to travel “within the next three months”. Despite this eagerness to travel, however, around 80% of those taking part in the survey said that having to quarantine would discourage them from going forward with their travel plans. Even before the pandemic, parts of the passenger journey had the potential to cause some stress or anxiety, even for the most experienced of travellers. Airports take pride in the way they have prioritised making the customer experience, stress-free, smoothing the experience so that passengers have an enjoyable journey from kerb to gate. As the pandemic unfolded, airports capitalised on this approach in introducing hygiene and health-related measures to ensure that passengers feel comfortable and confident to fly. As we pivot from managing the current crisis to preparing for tomorrow’s opportunities, it is clear that recovery will be boosted if passengers continue to have confidence in the health and safety of air transport.
Shifting passengers needs The pandemic has impacted virtually all aspects of our lives – it has changed the way we work, study, shop, communicate, and inarguably it will bring about permanent changes to the way we travel. Passenger behaviours and expectations will evolve, and the provision of airport customer experience will need to follow suit to accommodate new needs. While it is difficult to predict exactly what the new trends will look like, in times of crisis, humans want to know that they matter. And, for airports, this means listening, understanding and adapting to shifting passenger behaviours, values and needs. These changes will also bring about the need for higher degrees of personalisation, predictability and authenticity. Successful organisations are already tapping into these shifts in behaviour to improve consumer relevancy and differentiate themselves from the competition. Rather than make assumptions about people’s needs, the most successful ones are those that seek a better understanding of the people rewriting the new rules: the consumer. This information is crucial, especially once airports enter the period of full-speed recovery, and will be an important tool to help them regain the trust of passengers. Understanding travellers needs will give airports an opportunity to tailor their services and take a human-at-the centre approach to rebuild passenger confidence and encourage them to travel again.
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AIRPORT WORLD/ISSUE 1, 2021
Listening to the Voice of the Customer Airports around the world continue to go above and beyond to provide an airport experience that is safe, hygienic and responsive to the changing needs and expectations of passengers. To celebrate their achievements, ACI has launched the Voice of the Customer recognition for airports that continue to prioritise their customers and remained committed to ensuring that their voice was heard during the pandemic. This initiative highlights those who have made significant efforts in gathering passenger feedback through the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) programme to help them better understand their customers and better position themselves to build back safer and more satisfying experiences for travellers. The Airport Service Quality programme is the world’s leading airport customer experience measurement and benchmarking programme. The ASQ Departures programme measures passengers’ satisfaction across 34 key performance indicators. More than half of the world’s travellers pass through an ASQ airport. Congratulations to all 140 airports that have been recognised and we applaud you and your team for your untiring dedication and fortitude during this difficult time.
The silver lining One thing that has not changed during the crisis is people’s passion for adventure and appetite for international travel. The new normal for travel will bring many changes, which in turn will require flexibility and adaptability from our industry. Now is the opportunity for airports to listen to their passengers to better understand their needs in order to redesign the end-to-end passenger journey and better prepare for the future.
