International survey measures airport satisfaction
Passengers’ overall impression of Sofia Airport is improving, according to the results of a global survey by Airports Council International covering 283 airports worldwide, including 104 European ones. For the old continent, the survey ranked Sofia Airport 56th, and in terms of overall satisfaction with the services offered, it received a score of 4.05 on a five-point scale.
In the last quarter of 2022, 350 passengers surveyed at the capital’s airport reported transport access, check-in efficiency, proximity to gates and a tangible improvement in wireless internet quality as strengths, according to the survey results.
Passengers are sympathetic to the time it takes for mandatory security checks, which is impressive compared to other European airports where waits of 4 hours or more were common in 2022. With 4.15 out of 5 points, passengers rate the time it takes to pass this check. People trust the healthy and safe environment provided by Sofia Airport, with a score of 4.02, and report positively on the willingness of staff to assist at all stages of passing through the terminals. Passenger satisfaction with the friendliness of check-in agents was highest here at 4.51, with a maximum of 5.
The survey results point to the cleanliness of sanitary facilities (3.01 points) and the variety of eating places (3.83 points) and commercial outlets (3.68 points) as areas for improvement. On these topics, the airport authority is already implementing an improvement programme that includes contracting the cleaning to the reputable German company Dr. Sasse, including robotizing part of the operation and building completely new duty-free shops on an area of nearly 2,000 sqm by one of the world’s largest travel retailers, Dufry.
The Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey is based on a single global methodology and covers passengers’ views on all aspects of the airport experience – from transport to and from the airport, through all the formalities and options for shopping, dining and entertainment, to the gates to get to the aircraft. Sofia Airport will rely on the study as a benchmark for the implementation of its strategy to transform into a five-star regional airport.
“The survey is a reference point for where we are positioned when compared to others. The results are encouraging at this stage and without underestimating the great work that lies ahead, we believe we are on the right track. Customer feedback is really important to us, we will continue to work for their better experience,” said Terminals Director András Abel, who worked at Budapest Airport before joining the team in Sofia.