When it comes to customer satisfaction, few airports can match the levels established by the team at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU). Year after year, the operation at HOU continues to impress by garnering attention and recognition from prestigious groups such as Airports Council International (ACI). Recently, ACI once again placed the spotlight squarely on Houston’s second busiest airport by honoring HOU in the category of “Best Airports Worldwide for the North America Region” and “Best Airport by Size,” in its 2008 ACI Airport Service Quality Awards (ASQ). The recognition comes among those airports handling a range of 5 to 15 million passengers annually. HOU is the 43rd busiest airport in the country for total passengers, with more than 8.7 million people traveling through the four-runway airport in 2008. "

© Houston Airport System Hobby Airport. This is a sample caption for the photo of the sails in the airport above.

"We are of course honored and thrilled to be recognized for our performance and customer service efforts in such a distinguished global arena," says Mary Case, airport manager for Hobby Airport. "We have made customer service a top priority and our passengers have taken notice and let us know how much they appreciate our attention. It's a team effort with everyone including the air carriers, airport and concessions workers contributing their people skills and striving hard everyday to make things comfortable for our passengers."

The results of the ASQ were based on more than 200,000 questionnaires completed by passengers at 108 airports worldwide with daily interviews year round to capture trends, peaks and varying travel periods.

During the survey, passengers were asked to rate more than 30 levels of service at airports they visited including cleanliness, atmosphere, friendliness, accessibility and signage.

"This honor is a reflection of everything from our Volunteer Airport Ambassador program to our emphasis on providing a clean airport. The customer experience includes our sparkling floors, our attention to the public restrooms and providing concessions that offer variety," adds Case.

Angela Gittens, director general of ACI, says that overall, the survey results from 2008 reflect a deep commitment to customer service on the part of North American airports, especially those such as HOU which obviously excelled given the results.

"As the industry benchmark of airport service quality, the ASQ Survey program is enabling airports to understand and respond to the needs of their passengers," says Gittens. "Survey results show that overall passenger satisfaction continues to improve year-on-year...which demonstrates that airports care very much about their customers, no matter how tough the economic situation."

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