Memphis airport is 200th to join the ACI Airport Service Quality benchmarking program

ACI World Director General Angela Gittens welcomes Memphis International Airport₁ as the 200th participant to join ACI’s worldwide Airport Service Quality program. Sixty-four percent of airports worldwide that handle more than 10 million passengers per year now actively participate in the ASQ Survey program to benchmark their customer service delivery performance. Total program membership draws participants from all five ACI regions.

Gittens says, “ACI World is delighted to have Memphis join ASQ this year. It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were welcoming our 100th airport, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport and, indeed, program participation has doubled in just over two years. ASQ has wide appeal for airport managers, who, as in any service industry, value customer feedback. Highly structured measurement, analytical reporting and open discussion forums are all features that have built the program’s reputation as the premier airport customer service benchmarking tool.”

ACI North America President Greg Principato says, “I am pleased to see the growing number of airports in North America that are electing to join ASQ. The rapid growth of the program this year attests to the commitment of our airport members to understand and respond to customer perceptions. By tracking service quality improvements over time, ASQ also allows participating airports to be recognised for the great job they are doing, by the people who count most – the passengers.”

ASQ captures this vital customer input in a ‘real-time’ setting. Throughout the year, month by month, questionnaires are filled in by travellers on-site at the departure gate. They rate more than 30 different aspects of the airport experience on the day of departure. Over 300,000 surveys are collected annually at participating airports, and from this data the ASQ program generates an array of benchmarking reports on a quarterly basis. The reports highlight best practices and help managers to calibrate their service performance.

Larry Cox, President and CEO of Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, says, “It is critical for an airport to understand what passengers need and expect, and at the same time to identify where the gaps lie in meeting those expectations. In today’s dynamic airport environment, we are responding to changes in airline services and routes and welcoming greater numbers of domestic and international travellers. We want to meet that challenge by positioning ourselves ahead of the curve. ASQ will help our management teams to measure our performance year-on-year and also to compare our results with fellow participants in the program. Sharing best practice and customer service solutions through the ASQ regional member forums is yet another unique feature of this program, and one that will help us to be more creative in improving our services.”

Gittens and Principato are pleased to see the Memphis hub join the ASQ group. Gittens says, “Traffic forecasters predict that global airport traffic will double over the next 20 years, and those passengers will demand high quality service from the world’s airports. We look forward to working with the Memphis airport team in the coming years to help them achieve maximum benefit from the ASQ program and to meet that exciting challenge.”

Reference

1. In 2009, Memphis International Airport handled 10,264,327 passengers (ranked 34th in the US) and 3,697,054 tonnes cargo (ranked 1st in the US and worldwide).