Airports Council International: 2015 Airport Service Quality Award winners

Airports Council International (ACI) announced the winners of the 2015 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards. The world’s premier passenger service benchmarking programme for airports, ASQ delivered over 550,000 in-depth passenger surveys at over 300 airports across more than 80 countries worldwide last year. The 2015 results represent the world’s best in class airports where improving the customer experience is concerned—appraised by passengers while they are traveling and the experience is fresh in their minds.

Given the growth of the ASQ programme, the 2015 results have been expanded to include a new category (Best Airport by Size and Region) and more robust winners’ lists (several airports have tied in their respective categories). ASQ has statistically validated the winners to ensure accuracy; as such, a tie indicates that no statistical difference has been found between the scores of two or more airports. Furthermore, the Best Airport by Size and Region category is only applicable to size categories that contain a minimum five qualifying airports. New Top Airports by Region lists are also now available on the ASQ website. These enhancements effectively highlight the high proportion of worldwide airports—both large and small, from developing and developed countries—that are focusing on customer service as a means of fostering traveler loyalty in an increasingly competitive environment.

“Airports’ increasing concentration on ensuring a stellar passenger experience is part of a larger trend,” noted Angela Gittens, Director General, ACI World. “Airports have evolved into complex, customer-focused businesses in their own right that in many cases are in competition with each other for passenger traffic. From duty free and restaurants to ambience, cleanliness, courtesy of staff, amenities, efficiency and more, air travelers are expecting big things from the airports through which they travel. More than anything, ASQ is a way for participants to measure the extent to which they deliver on these expectations.”

The world’s top airports for passenger service in 2015, as chosen by the world’s travelers, are:

Best Airport by Region (over 2 million passengers per year)

Africa

First place: Mauritius

Second place (tie): Cape Town; Durban

Third place: Johannesburg

Asia-Pacific

First place (tie): Seoul Incheon; Singapore

Second place (tie): Beijing; Mumbai; New Delhi; Sanya Phoenix; Shanghai Pudong

Third place (tie): Guangzhou Baiyun; Taiwan Taoyuan; Tianjin Binhai

Europe

First place (tie): Moscow Sheremetyevo; Pulkovo; Sochi

Second place (tie): Dublin; Malta; Prague; Zurich

Third place (tie): Copenhagen; Keflavik; London Heathrow; Porto; Vienna

Middle East

First place: Amman

Second place (tie): Abu Dhabi; Doha

Third place (tie): Dammam; Dubai; Tel Aviv

North America

First place: Indianapolis

Second place (tie): Dallas Love Field; Grand Rapids; Jacksonville; Ottawa; Tampa

Third place (tie): Austin; Detroit; Sacramento; San Antonio; Toronto Billy Bishop

Latin America-Caribbean

First place: Guayaquil

Second place: Quito

Third place: Punta Cana

Best Airport by Size

2–5 million passengers per year

First place: Jaipur

Second place: Lucknow

Third place: Guayaquil

5–15 million passengers per year

First place: Sanya Phoenix

Second place: Tianjin Binhai

Third place: Hyderabad

15–25 million passengers per year

First place: Seoul Gimpo

Second place: Wuhan

Third place: Denpasar

25–40 million passengers per year

First place (tie): Mumbai; New Delhi

Second place: Taiwan Taoyuan

Third place: Shanghai Hongqiao

Over 40 million passengers per year

First place (tie): Seoul Incheon; Singapore

Second place (tie): Beijing; Shanghai Pudong

Third place: Guangzhou Baiyun

Best Airport by Region (under 2 million passengers per year)

Africa: Upington

Europe: Skopje

North America: Portland

Latin America-Caribbean: Culiacan

Best Airport by Size and Region (new category)

Asia-Pacific

2–5 million passengers per year: Jaipur

5–15 million passengers per year: Sanya Phoenix

15–25 million passengers per year: Seoul Gimpo

25–40 million passengers per year: New Delhi

Over 40 million passengers per year: Seoul Incheon

Europe

2–5 million passengers per year: Sochi

5–15 million passengers per year: Pulkovo

15–25 million passengers per year: Dublin

25–40 million passengers per year: Moscow Sheremetyevo

Over 40 million passengers per year: London Heathrow

North America

2–5 million passengers per year: Grand Rapids

5–15 million passengers per year: Indianapolis

Most Improved Airport

Africa: Nairobi

Asia-Pacific: Denpasar

Europe: Istanbul

Latin America-Caribbean: Kingston

Middle East: Dammam

North America: Saskatoon

About ACI

Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s airports, was founded in 1991 with the objective of fostering cooperation among its member airports and other partners in world aviation, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation. In representing the best interests of airports during key phases of policy development, ACI makes a significant contribution toward ensuring a global air transport system that is safe, secure, efficient and environmentally sustainable.

About ASQ Survey

The ASQ Survey covers 34 key service areas and includes 8 major categories such as access, check-in, security, airport facilities, food and beverage, retail and more. All participating airports use the same survey questions, creating an industry standard set of responses that allows participants to track and analyze their performance, as well as benchmark results against airports across the globe. All participating airports can view the ASQ survey results of all other participating airports on a confidential basis.

Benchmarking allows participants to compare their airport’s performance against industry best practices. Through the use of key performance indicators, participants see where their airport under—and over—performs; where improvements are required; and where investment is most likely to deliver the biggest return.

Benchmarking offers a broad range of benefits, allowing participants to: