Budapest Airport sweeps independent satisfaction survey
03 AUGUST 2011 Passengers’ opinions of services at Budapest Airport have improved significantly. This is the conclusion from an independent survey analyzing services at airports throughout the world, conducted by Airports Council International (ACI). Budapest Airport attributes the jump in quality primarily to two factors, the recent trainings of airport staff and the opening of the bud:SkyCourt at Terminal 2.
The ASQ (Airport Service Quality) is an independent survey conducted on behalf of ACI every quarter at major airports worldwide, through questionnaires completed by passengers. Consequently, the results of the ASQ survey have long been regarded as an authoritative benchmark for a large number of services.
In the questionnaires, passengers are asked to rate all services available at the airport, from parking, through security screening to the cleanliness of restrooms. Scores over 3.5 awarded on a scale of 1 to 5 are regarded as good. It is therefore a great achievement that Budapest Airport managed to increase its average with 0.34 in the space of a single quarter.
A total of 52 airports participated in the regional (European) category of the ASQ survey, and in terms of overall satisfaction, Budapest Airport outperformed a number of its competitors. It is an important fact that both tourists and business travelers awarded high scores to the services provided by Budapest Airport. The courtesy of airport security staff, short waiting times at the otherwise thorough passenger security screening, the choice of airport restaurants and their excellent value for money and the prices of airport shops were amongst the categories receiving the highest marks.
It is especially noteworthy that whilst transferring was often challenging during the construction works, now, after the handover of the bud:SkyCourt, transfer passengers consider Budapest Airport to be an excellent location for changing flights, with easy way-finding confirming the status as one of the best hubs in Europe.
“We were very excited to receive the 2011 Q2 ASQ results, because we felt that the bud:SkyCourt, which has already been awarded a number of prizes in the area of architecture and tourism, will also be a big hit with our most important partners, our passengers,” said Jost Lammers, the CEO of Budapest Airport. “I am especially delighted that passengers also positively rated the courtesy of airport security staff, since methods and procedures have been harmonized in accordance with the highest European standards and regulations, and twelve state-of-the-art security lanes have been commissioned in bud:SkyCourt. I firmly believe that we are also starting to see the effects of the continuous trainings held in parallel with these developments,” he added.
The passenger satisfaction survey is a factor in the bonuses of staff in a number of areas within Budapest Airport. It is equally important for all airport staff, from shop floor employees to executives, to provide excellent service quality for passengers. It is Budapest Airport’s declared strategic objective to become the best airport in Central-Eastern Europe in terms of service quality and growth. The company is therefore making renewed efforts to further develop airport services.