Introduction
Passenger service at the airport is an important step in the transportation process. Passengers are the main subject of labor, so to ensure the competitiveness of the airport and airlines, each carrier is constantly working to provide additional, modern, and profitable services. The quality of passenger service of aircraft and air transport in general depends on technical and technological support. Airport enterprise activity is impossible without using advanced information technologies. Such advances include reservation systems, airport registration, websites, mobile technologies, and other technical service processes that cover all spheres of industrial and commercial airline activity.
Why Good Customer Service Is Imperative
To an Airport
The hours-long stay at the airport associated with flight cancellations and delays that passengers are familiar with is discouraging, as entertainment options are usually limited to shopping, cafes, and television programs on monitors. Recently, competition has been pushing airport managers to introduce new services and features that turn a tedious wait for a flight for their customers into a pleasant recreation (Law, 2018). Each airport may have its own set of paid and free services, but there is a standard set that is the same in all. Free services: mother and baby room, playroom for children, medical center, charging for gadgets, Wi-Fi, prayer rooms. Paid services vary by airport: baggage packing, Fast-track, luggage storage, airline business lounges, and cargo services (Budd & Ison, 2020). Airport companies are in constant interconnection and interdependence with the external business environment (customers, investors, counterparties, etc.) and the macro environment (region, country, global economy, and related industries).
The growth of airport revenues depends directly on the performance of air carriers, which, in turn, affects the growth of revenues of the airlines themselves. The conditions for revenue growth of airport companies and airlines, in addition to the growth of the number of flights and passengers (airport revenue), are provided by the reconstruction or modernization of infrastructure (airfield or its individual elements, airport terminals or their individual areas, etc.). A good infrastructure and developed customer service are reflected in the airport’s revenues, representing a direct percentage of sales.
To an Airport Sponsor
For the community sponsors, Servia is beneficial because it is an effective advertising platform. For communities near the airport, providing customer service provides many jobs (Seth & Young, 2019). Thus, while waiting for a flight, airline customers become customers of the airport infrastructure and contribute to increased profits for the airport and airline companies, as well as the development of the infrastructure of the nearby community. The latter becomes an attractive place to live in terms of a large number of jobs.
Benchmarking: An Example of a Successful Airport Customer Service Model
A prime example of developed customer service is the Franz Josef Strauss Airport Munich. It offers its passengers the following services: a beer restaurant, where beer is brewed in the airport’s own brewery; NAPCABS – rest booths for transfer passengers waiting for their next flight. The cabin resembles a small kiosk with an area of 3.5 square meters. Inside the cabin is a bed, TV, a table for placing a laptop, sockets, and Internet access (Halpern & Graham, 2021). Passengers in the cabin can choose movies or music clips to watch.
Europe’s first airport clinic, AirportClinic M, is located at the airport. It offers high-quality medical services with first-class equipment. The clinic’s profile is extensive, including ophthalmology, plastic surgery, gynecology, cardiology, and many other areas of modern traditional medicine. The clinic includes a consultation center, operating rooms, and hospital wards.
SWOT Analysis of the Airport
The peculiarities of the functioning of this airport can be reflected through SWOT analysis.
Strengths
- advantageous location;
- high culture of service;
- coordinated work of the departments;
- a positive image of the airport among clients and partners;
- availability of modern equipment;
- continuously expanding range of high-quality services;
- high level of safety;
- leading position in the air transport market;
- compliance of the airport with international standards;
- growth of the volume of air transportation;
- implementation of advanced airport technologies.
Weaknesses
- significant staff turnover;
- low wages;
- lack of active advertising of new airport opportunities.
Opportunities
- advantageous geographic location;
- opportunity to invest in the construction of a new terminal;
- well-known and well-established partners;
- growth of the market and directions of air transportation;
- growth of solvent demand for air transportation;
- projected increase in traffic volume;
- tax reduction
- government support.
Threats
- rapid growth rates of competitors;
- terrorist acts;
- imposition of new taxes,
- the threat of a decline in effective demand for air travel;
- sharp increases in material prices (e.g., fuel);
- increased government demands on passenger safety and service;
- increased competition.
Recommendations
To achieve better results in the future, the following steps can be advised:
- introduction of new passenger services;
- transition to operation of new, highly reliable airport and aviation equipment;
- increasing the efficiency of basic airport processes;
- strengthening the “global impact factors,” which include the overall impression of the airport, the cleanliness of airport terminals, and the politeness of the staff.
Conclusion
Thus, any organization is and operates within external and internal environments. They predetermine the success of the company, impose certain limitations on operational actions, and, to some extent, every action of the company is possible only if the environment allows its implementation. Studying the airport’s internal environment, including the quality of customer service, enables management to assess the company’s internal resources and capabilities. By identifying service strengths and weaknesses, management is able to expand and strengthen competitive advantages and, accordingly, prevent potential problems from arising. As with the external environment, it is the task of the company’s strategic management to maintain and improve the aspects that increase the company’s competitive advantage in the long run.
References
Budd, L., & Ison, S. (2020). Air transport management: An international perspective. London Routledge.
Halpern, N., & Graham, A. (2021). Airport marketing. Routledge.
Law, C. C. (2018). A practical guide to airline customer service: From airline operations to passenger services. Brownwalker Press.
Seth & Young, A. T. (2019). Airport Planning And Management, Seventh Edition. Mcgraw-Hill Education.