Title
Passenger Experience at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Description
This report responds to a Council request for follow-up at the Oct. 20, 2021 Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning Subcommittee on the passenger experience at Sky Harbor International Airport.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
The mission of the City of Phoenix Aviation Department is to provide a world class airport experience. Every customer. Every day.
The Aviation Department accomplishes that goal through a focus on customer service. The Aviation Department manages the customer service and communications function for the airport, and tracks and responds to customer questions and complaints that are received via phone, email, and social media.
To better understand the passenger experience, the Aviation Department conducts continuous consumer surveys through in-person interviews with passengers in the terminals. These surveys provide the department with demographic information about passengers coming to Sky Harbor International Airport, as well as insights about how our customers use the airport and related amenities, and their attitude about and satisfaction with airport services.
The airport's passenger profile shows that the majority of our customers (82%), are leisure travelers, with the rest (18%) coming to Phoenix for business purposes. Passengers are nearly evenly split between male (49%) and female (51%) and the majority of our passengers (80%) are 55-years-old or younger.
Key to the survey, customer satisfaction is tracked month-over-month on a five-point scale, giving the Aviation Department a general overview of the passenger experience. Data from September shows that passengers are rating the airport primarily either good or very good in surveys, steadily trending back up from a low in May of this year.
The passenger experience at Sky Harbor is also evaluated for how friendly and welcoming it is in survey questions, where customers are asked to compare the friendliness of our airport to other airports they use. These numbers are also trending up again, with the majority of passengers surveyed (77%) indicating that Sky Harbor is more friendly or much more friendly than other airports.
Issues that continue to be of concern for passengers include cleanliness, availability of concessions, and availability of seating in the concourses as passenger numbers once again increase. These concerns are likely more pronounced due to the dramatic return of airport passenger traffic in 2021 as compared to peer airports, combined with systemic workforce staffing challenges for airport business partners.
The Aviation Department also receives many compliments for its operations, and the friendliness of its staff. To encourage and recognize good customer service, the Public Relations Division highlights excellent examples through awards and recognition to staff and members of the airport community. Additionally, the Aviation Department is continuing to support contractors and concessionaires in their efforts to reach necessary staffing levels to ensure services meet customer expectations.
Location
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport - 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd.
Council District: 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Aviation Department.