The Tribune

The Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) aims to build on its improved 2017 first quarter performance in the New Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey.

Cleanliness of airport terminals topped the list of high scores for the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA), with 4.46 on a possible five-point scale.

This was followed by the ease of customers finding their way through the facilities (4.4), and the courtesy and helpfulness of check-in staff (4.33). Passengers also found overall airport ambiance and inspection staff a positive experience, ranking these categories 4.31 and 4.25, respectively.

Vernice Walkine, NAD's president and chief executive, said the numbers reflected investments in systems such as the Automated Passport Control (APC) in US Customs, and the development of new customer service training initiatives.

"We began the ASQ surveys six years ago to determine how we ranked regionally, and to test how LPIA stacked up against other facilities of a similar passenger size," Ms Walkine explained.

"Since then, we have seen natural spikes occur in overall passenger satisfaction as we opened new terminals. Today, we are pleased to note high scores, particularly in our US Departures terminal, which has been in full operation for six years. How we maintain our physical structures and continue to improve on our levels of service is critical to LPIA's ability to meet the demand in airlift required to grow and sustain our tourism economy. "

In March, the Airports Council International (ACI) awarded LPIA the 'second best airport with over two million passengers per year' honour for Latin America and the Caribbean. This was based on strong scores in all four quarters in 2016.

NAD is focused on LPIA achieving the top regional ranking within the next three to five years.

NAD last year launched an airport-wide initiative to train front-line staff who deal directly with the 3.29 million passengers passing annually through LPIA.

To-date, more than 100 airline, security and tenant employees have participated in the training. The company also works directly with the Ministry of Tourism, which offers Bahama Host Training to airport front-line staff, including the training of seven persons to act as Bahama Host-certified leaders at LPIA.

"Even with the considerable operating costs to maintain LPIA at world-class standards, we are committed to long-term strategies over the next three to five years to build on our successes at the airport. Maintaining specific service standards and meeting the projected growth requires a significant financial investment as we seek to tap into the true potential of this airport," Ms Walkine said.

LPIA last year welcomed over 3.29 million visitors, while safely landing more than 81,000 aircraft. Since NAD's inception, around 30.5 million passengers from 67 domestic and international destinations have moved in and out of LPIA's three terminal buildings. The facilities were designed to expand to accommodate up to five million passengers annually.