San Antonio Airport Ranks Above Board in Customer Satisfaction

February 11, 2004

San Antonio Airport Ranks Above Board in Customer
Satisfaction
San Antonio Business Journal, TX

A new survey by J.D. Power and Associates shows that
San Antonio International Airport ranks above the
industry average in terms of customer satisfaction. 

This comes at a time when airline passengers worldwide
are experiencing decreases in the amount of time spent
waiting for flights. 

Despite heightened security measures put in place at
airports after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, wait times
at security check points were down 13.5 percent in
2003 vs. 2002. 

Furthermore, passengers are becoming more accustomed
to the widespread changes in airport security measures
implemented after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks,
according to Linda Hirneise, a partner in the global
travel practice for J.D. Power and Associates. 

"Not only have security processes become more
streamlined and efficient, but also passengers are
arriving at airports earlier and are more prepared for
what is expected to them when they go through security
screening, even during alert times," Hirneise says. 

The Westlake Village, Calif.-based independent global
marketing information firm released its findings in
its 2003 Global Airport Passenger Satisfaction Study. 

Based on a Web survey of 12,000 business and leisure
travelers worldwide, the report ranked 61 airports on
several factors, including the ease of getting to the
terminal, security checks, gate access, concessions
and immigration/customs. Airports are ranked on a
1,000-point scale. 

"Of the 61 airports included in the survey, San
Antonio is in fact above average among the airports,"
Hirneise says. "San Antonio ranked 29th out of 61,
above the full industry average." 

Singapore's Changi International Airport is the
world's best airport based on customer satisfaction.
Singapore's airport ranked 778 out of 1,000 in
satisfaction. 

"No airport is perfect," Hirneise adds. "It's all
about continuous improvement." 

This is the first year J.D. Power and Associates
included small airports in its ranking. The firm
defines a small airport as one with less than 10
million total passengers a year. 

Because the world's major airports have become more
congested because of security measures, more
passengers are opting to fly out of smaller airports
to avoid some of the hassles of flying, Hirneise says.


And the airlines have responded by adding regional jet
service between these non-hub airports. For this
reason, J.D. Power has begun including small airports
in its customer satisfaction rankings. 

Lisa Burkhardt-Worley, a spokeswoman for San Antonio
International Airport, says since the survey was taken
the airport has completed a number of initiatives that
should only improve customer rankings in the future. 

San Antonio International Airport recently capped off
a terminal renovations project and concessions
redevelopment program in October that brought in
10,000 square feet of new concessions space. 

Since the concessions redevelopment and terminal
renovations were complete, the airport has brought in
new local and national restaurant concepts, retail
shops, new plasma screens for visual paging and new
multi-user flight information monitors, she says. 

Airport passengers also have access to a business
center with high-speed Internet access, conference
rooms and office supplies. Passengers also have access
to a full-service credit union. 


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