Customer satisfaction flying high at East Midlands Airport
Almost three-quarters of passengers flying from East Midlands Airport reported high levels of satisfaction during this year’s summer season, following a wide range of improvements at the airport.
Ratings for customer loyalty and satisfaction from July to September this year showed that 71% would recommend the airport to others – 10% higher than during the same period last year and the highest scores ever seen at East Midlands Airport.
The same post-travel NPS (Net Promoter Score) survey showed greater satisfaction in people’s experience of the terminal, driven by better check-in arrangements and wayfinding, and in parking services including Meet & Greet where customers noted staff courtesy. They both increased by up to 4%, to 59% and 69% respectively.
The airport also carries out in-the-moment surveys to gauge people’s experience while at the airport. East Midlands’ internationally-recognised ASQ (Airport Service Quality) scores showed that overall satisfaction increased to 4.11 points out of five. Improved waiting times at check-in, good restaurants and bars and how people feel about their airport experience were all factors in the improved score compared with last year.
Investment in customer facilities has played a part in the growth in satisfaction. Ahead of this summer, new improvements were added to a range of changes already carried out as part of a £120m investment programme at the airport. These include:
· New and improved shops and restaurants, including Castle Rock Bar & Kitchen, Alembic restaurant and JD Sports
· A major upgrade of the security hall’s aesthetics and equipment
· Improved wi-fi connectivity
· New water refill stations and electronic customer service kiosks
· Several major toilet refurbishments
· Aesthetic improvements to the Meet & Greet Office, Escape Lounge and Lost Property Hub
· New barrierless, cashless payment system for more efficient Rapid Drop Off arrangements
· The www.eastmidlandsairport.com website also underwent an upgrade to improve the design and navigation on mobiles and tablets.
Along with the improvements to improve the customer experience, the airport has a 17-strong team of Customer Ambassadors who are on hand in the busiest parts of the airport to provide friendly help and advice. It also has an award-winning Assisted Travel team which helped a record 100,000 customers with extra needs through the airport this year and gained the top CAA rating for the sixth year in a row. During the summer period, both teams are joined by a dozen cadets from local aviation and travel & tourism courses to bolster the support available at the busiest time of the year.
East Midlands Airport’s Customer Services and Planning Director Mike Grimes said: “These
strong results from customer feedback surveys confirm that we are listening to our customers and using what we learn to deliver exceptional experiences and effortless travel for all customers travelling through the airport.
“The wide range of improvements we have carried out so far help to enhance the overall
customer experience. We have more to come and will continue to respond to customer
sentiment to ensure our airport continues to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations and address specific areas for improvement.”