Airports have the wrong priorities

October 30, 2008

A survey of members of Priority Pass, the world’s leading independent airport VIP lounge program, suggests that airport operators are putting profit before passengers’ needs.

Airline passengers are noticing improvements in retail facilities at airports, with more opportunities to shop, eat and drink, but these are not the things that they feel are the most important.

When asked to rank various factors that influence travellers’ satisfaction with the airport experience, Priority Pass members (who take an average of 19 flights a year) made it clear that anything that gets them through the airport as smoothly and quickly as possible was top of the list.

Two key factors for these travellers are:

• Punctuality of the flight departure (95% considered it important)
• Speed of clearing security checks (93% considered it important)

On the other hand, at the bottom of the list of 11 factors in terms of importance to the travellers’ satisfaction were:

• Shopping facilities at the airport (58% considered it important)
• Eating / drinking facilities at the airport (32% considered it important)

It seems obvious that airports should be focusing on speeding passengers through the experience, but things aren’t improving. When asked if they had become more or less satisfied with each of the factors over the last year, the survey reveals that airport priorities may be wrong.

Shopping, eating and drinking at the airport have got better, but punctuality, and security queues (the things that really matter to travellers) have got worse.

The important factors

• Punctuality of the flight departure – a balance of 4% are LESS satisfied
• Speed of clearing security checks – a balance of 7% are LESS satisfied

The less important factors

• Shopping facilities at the airport – a balance of 17% are MORE satisfied
• Eating / drinking facilities at the airport – a balance of 16% are MORE satisfied

“Can it be a coincidence that there is more profit to be made for airports in shopping, eating and drinking than in getting travelers through the airport as quickly as possible?” commented Jonathan French, Brand Director of Priority Pass.

More details on the survey are available here..