Improving Airport Cleanliness Through Passenger Feedback

In an era where travel demand continues to rise and passengers are more health conscious than ever, the cleanliness of an airport can make or break their travel journey. It's often the key factor in travel decisions and a crucial aspect of passenger satisfaction. However, maintaining high standards of cleanliness requires more than just routine cleaning; it demands that airports actively listen to passenger feedback.

By gathering and analyzing feedback, airports can identify problem areas, address concerns promptly, and continuously improve their services to meet the evolving expectations of travelers.

In this blog, we’ll explore how airport cleanliness influences the passenger journey and discuss how to use feedback to refine your cleaning strategies.

Importance of Airport Cleanliness

The moment passengers enter an airport, cleanliness and sanitation begin to shape their impression. A spotless and well-maintained airport can instantly make travelers feel more comfortable, setting a positive tone for the rest of their travel journey. In contrast, encountering dirty restrooms and littered floors can lead to unnecessary frustration and added anxiety.

However, the impact of cleanliness extends beyond just first impressions. Unclean or poorly maintained facilities can result in longer wait times, hindering passengers' travel journey. For instance, if restrooms are out of order or not adequately cleaned, passengers might spend time searching for usable facilities, potentially causing them to miss their flights.

Health and safety are paramount in any public space, but particularly at airports, where large numbers of people gather from all over the world. Given the high volume of travelers, airports are hotbeds for bacteria and germs. This is a significant concern in the post-pandemic world, with health-conscious travelers becoming increasingly aware of their surroundings. Inadequate cleaning protocols, especially in high-touch areas like restrooms, seating areas, and security checkpoints, increase the risk of transmitting illnesses and viruses, affecting both passengers and staff.

If passengers have a negative experience, they may choose to avoid that airport in the future, potentially damaging its reputation. This unfavorable reputation can have significant financial implications for the airport, as passengers opt for cleaner and more reputable alternatives. Additionally, vendors, lounges, and retailers might reconsider their partnerships with an airport that's perceived as unclean or unkempt, leading to loss of revenue.

Gathering Feedback

Seeking customer feedback is an essential process for airports aiming to maintain high standards of cleanliness and elevate the passenger experience. Understanding the thoughts and concerns of travelers allows airports to identify problem areas and make data-driven decisions to improve their processes and enhance services.

Methods for Collecting Feedback

There are numerous ways airports can effectively gather customer feedback. Surveys are typically the most practical and valuable method. These can be distributed through multiple outlets, including text messages, emails, and airport apps or websites. Ideally, these surveys are given to passengers immediately after any service they've received. By keeping surveys short, to the point, and user-friendly, airports can access real-time insights into passengers' experiences.

Alternatively, social media is a popular channel for customers to deliver feedback. By monitoring airport mentions, comments, and messages, you can instantly interact with the customer and gain a better understanding of their experience.

Incentivize Participation

To maximize feedback, it’s crucial to encourage passenger participation and make the process as effortless as possible. Clear signage with easy-to-understand instructions in several languages can guide passengers through the process. Incentivizing participation is a highly effective strategy to boost engagement. This can include offering discounts, meal vouchers, airline drink tickets, or gift cards. Additionally, personalized follow-ups can help give a personal touch and encourage future participation.

Enhancing the Feedback process

Regularly updating customers on changes implemented because of their feedback helps build trust and show the customers their input is valued. Integrating these methods, tools, and strategies, airports can establish a robust feedback system that not only captures the voice of passengers but also drives meaningful change and improvements in cleanliness standards.

Analyzing Feedback and Implementing Changes

Once customer feedback is collected, the next step is to analyze it and leverage it to improve cleaning standards and strategies. Analyzing the data involves identifying trends. For example:

• Feedback in July and August centers around restroom cleanliness and stall availability
• Specific seating areas frequently receive negative feedback
• Older passengers seem to find trashcans too far apart or not easily accessible

After pinpointing trends and pain points, it’s essential to prioritize issues based on their frequency and impact on the passenger experience. Issues that directly impact the health and safety of all building occupants, including both travelers and staff, should be addressed first. Prioritizing concerns allows airports to allocate resources effectively and ensures that the most critical areas receive immediate attention.

Airport managers should aim to develop a clear plan of actionable items, measurable objectives, and realistic goals for improving cleanliness strategies. This plan should detail the specific actions to be taken, such as increasing cleaning frequencies in a particular terminal, redesigning workflows, changing training methods, adding staff during peak times, or upgrading cleaning products and equipment.

In addition to passenger feedback, airport managers should actively encourage staff feedback, ensuring that employees feel empowered to communicate what works well and what doesn't.

The Power of Feedback

Gathering and acting on feedback isn't just about maintaining appearances; it’s about continually meeting and exceeding passenger expectations. This proactive approach will ensure that your airport consistently provides a clean and secure environment for all staff and passengers, emphasizing the importance of their health and safety.