Airport managers and investors are focusing on passengers. Improving passenger experience seems to be the key to increasing revenue.
Happy customers spend more.
That is not exactly true. Passengers are consumers; they are not customers. Very seldom airports collect a penny directly from passengers. Passengers do not purchase goods or services from the airport itself. They purchase from intermediate companies.
Customer satisfaction should be the top priority for airport management – especially the satisfaction of the airlines.
Airports want happy customers. Who are they?
Customers and providers are linked through money transactions. Airlines, retail companies, restaurants, tenants, car rentals, parking franchisees… are the real-and-only-one customers for airports.
Furthermore, since airlines own the passengers, airlines are VIP customers. If they are happy, they bring more passengers in. If they are not, airlines may consider taking their business somewhere else.
Airport revenues are tied to passenger volume. Happy airlines increase operations. If airport operations increase, passenger figures swell too. Subsequently, it is logical to expect airport revenues to grow accordingly.
Improving passenger experience is very important. Happy passengers spend more. Nevertheless, as with any business, customer satisfaction should be the top priority for airport management – especially the satisfaction of the airlines.
All this may seem quite obvious. It is not. Do you have airport expansion plans? Forget your local politician’s agenda and ask your airlines for advice.
Happy airlines bring more passengers in.
