Auckland voted 2nd best airport in Australia Pacific region
For the second year in a row, Auckland Airport has been ranked the second best airport in the Australia Pacific region in the 2008 independent Skytrax awards, with this year only Brisbane Airport receiving a higher ranking from within Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific.
Auckland Airport’s chief executive, Don Huse, said “It is very rewarding that the enormous amount of work we have been putting into improving the experience at Auckland Airport is appreciated by the people who matter the most, the travellers. We also recognise that airports such as Auckland compete in a global market and that we need to continually raise our standards.”
The strength of the competition from the Asian region was evident with Hong Kong, Singapore Changi, Seoul Incheon, and Kuala Lumpur taking the first four spots in the overall best airport in the world rankings.
The World Airport Survey is conducted by UK-based aviation research organisation, Skytrax. The survey covers more than 190 airports around the world with approximately 8.2 million questionnaires completed by passengers across the world, during the 10 month survey period. Passenger interviews include a detailed appraisal for more than 40 categories of product and service quality from check-in to departure, from arrivals to baggage collection - including terminal cleanliness, staff efficiency, staff courtesy, terminal signage, security processing, immigration and customers, walking distances, as well as features like shopping, dining options, internet services.
Skytrax CEO, Mr Edward Plaisted said, "In recent years, the whole air travel experience has become much more focussed on the time customers spend in the airport environment. What was notable from this survey is that customers are becoming much more discerning about airport standards and facilities available to them, be they travelling for business or leisure. "
About the World Airport Awards
The World Airport Survey™ is the Airport Survey that guarantees independence and unbiased impartiality. In it's 10th year of operation, the study is respected for it's transparency and authenticity. The World Airport Awards™ are the premier recognition of Quality for the world airport industry, assessing front-line customer service and general airport customer facilities. The World Airport Awards are based on the 2007-8 World Airport Survey, conducted by Skytrax between August 2007 and May 2008. The survey measures more than 40 aspects of passenger satisfaction for airport product and service standards - evaluating the 'typical' airport experience. Skytrax do not charge airport operators to be included in the survey, nor are results based on a finite number of airport choices. Passenger interviews covered more than 190 airports for this year's study. Worldwide survey interviews totalled 8,214,365 respondents. Over 97 different passenger nationalities participated in the survey. The World Airport Awards are conducted without any outside sponsorship, and costs of the survey are funded by the research organisation, Skytrax.
About Skytrax Research
SKYTRAX RESEARCH is the leading research advisors to the world airline and air transport industry. Established in 1989, it is a private company, based in London, UK. Their team of multi-discipline aviation specialists possess the most extensive knowledge of today's air travel industry. We have worked with more than 225 airlines, 72 airport operators and many other travel businesses during the past 19 years - adhering strictly to the company mission "without fear or favour". Skytrax provide multi-disciplined, specialist Air Transport Product and Service research capabilities to airlines, airport operators and associated travel suppliers across the globe - providing an unrivalled level of experience and expertise in this very specialist market.