At this year’s ABTA Convention much was said about the airport sector.
British Midland executive chairman Sir Michael Bishop said he did not agree with the development of shopping and catering facilities.
But they keep down airport charges and research proves that passengers want them. Go chief executive Barbara Cassani said airports should open secondary low-cost terminals, though this is likely to cause dis-economies of scale and lead to higher airport charges.
The main topic, however, was the lack of control that airlines and tour operators have over customer service at airports. This was referred to at the Cairns Convention as the ‘black hole’. But in reality whose black hole is it?
The airport company has responsibility for providing an infrastructure airlines can use to provide service to their passengers and operate their flights.
It is the airline’s responsibility to make use of and manage the facilities provided. At Birmingham we are spending £1m every week on state-of-the-art technology and terminal facilities to ensure what is needed in the future is provided now.
In practice some airlines, such as British Airways, manage their own ground-handling operations. Other airlines choose to contract a ground handling company to look after their passengers. Main duties are check-in procedures, provision of passenger information, assisting the infirm and handling baggage.
The airlines must set the service level agreements with their ground-handling companies and then monitor performance to ensure their passengers are cared for. British Airways, MAS and Servisair all operate at Birmingham and compete for airline business.
Charter airlines tend to ask their passengers to arrive at the airport 2hrs before departure, but scheduled airlines usually don’t.
Some airlines operate a system allowing any of their passengers to use any check in desk. Others allocate desks exclusively to passengers travelling on specific flights and only for a short time. This creates queues and congestion.
One charter airline allows passengers to check-in the evening before their flight is proving popular.
High customer service levels are essential if airports are to enjoy repeat business. Yet airport companies have limited control over the way the airlines manage their passengers. The control rests largely with airlines and tour operators.
At Birmingham we can only encourage a culture of high customer service with the companies that operate here through our Partnership Programme.
So, whose black hole is it?
n Peter Vella is director of business development at Birmingham International Airport