The Tribune

Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) has for the third consecutive quarter been ranked among the top three airports serving between two and five million million passengers.

Clean terminals and overall improved ambience at the Bahamas’ major gateway ranked first and second in passenger feedback, and helped to solidify the airport’s strong scores in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey.

For the 2014 second quarter, overall satisfaction trended upward with LPIA earning 4.42 on the 5-point Likert scale. In the category ‘Cleanliness of Airport Terminal’, the airport earned 4.62 and 4.49 for ‘Ambience of Airport Terminal’.

Overall satisfaction in the International Terminal jumped from first quarter scores of 4 to 4.27 in the sceond period this year. There were also increased ratings in the US and International/Domestic terminals during this period.

Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) officials cited the airport’s strong art programme, improved landscape and interiorscape initiatives - plus good service from the airport’s cleaning team - for the improved scores.

Improved performance by LPIA stakeholders also contributed to increased scores in categories such as Courtesy, Helpfulness of Airport staff, Efficiency of Check-In staff and Feeling of Being Safe and Secure at LPIA. These categories rounded out LPIA’s top 10 scoring variables.

“The levels of service provided by our airport partners at Bahamas Customs and Immigration, the Airport Authority and US Customs & Border Protection, and the many airlines operating out of LPIA, have contributed significantly to the overall satisfaction scores,” said Jan Knowles, NAD’s vice-president of marketing and communications.

“The survey results clearly indicated that while modern, sleek terminals are a big draw for passengers, it’s the little things like casual interaction with airport personnel, clean washrooms, well-maintained landscaping and music that leave lasting impressions on our passengers. This is encouraging news for our airport partners and NAD’s cleaning, landscape, and interiorscape team members.”

NAD implemented the ASQ survey programme at LPIA in 2011 as a way to benchmark the airport against other facilities within the region and of a similar size (two to five million passengers per annum).

ASQ surveys capture passenger appraisals from more than 246 airports in over 50 countries. In the most recent results, LPIA ranks 40 out of 246 in overall customer satisfaction.