East Midlands Airport says customer satisfaction increased last year following investment in its arrivals, departures and security areas.
According to the airport, 97% of customers rated their experience as good, very good or excellent, while 71% said they would recommend the airport to friends and family.
The airport said passengers highlighted ease of access, staff courtesy, boarding and disembarkation, and the security and immigration process among the factors affecting their experience.
Customer satisfaction scores rose by between 2% and 3% in key areas compared with the previous year, reaching 86% for arrivals, 86% for departures and 90% for security.
Recent changes in arrivals include improvements to the immigration hall, clearer wayfinding, a new lost property hub, refurbished toilets and a Changing Places toilet facility in the baggage reclaim hall.
In the departure lounge, the airport has introduced a quiet room, sensory pod, children’s play zone, new seating, new and refurbished restaurants, improved shopping facilities and refurbished toilets.
The security hall has also been upgraded with next-generation scanners. The airport said 99.7% of customers completed pre-flight checks in under 15 minutes.
Landside operations, including the airport’s Meet & Greet parking service, were also cited in the customer satisfaction results. Changes include self-service options for dropping off and collecting vehicle keys.
The airport said customers experienced relatively few delays, with a 90.4% on-time performance score for departures during the busiest early morning period. It also cited recent national data showing that flights at East Midlands last year had the fourth-lowest total delays across UK airports, with an average delay of 11 minutes and 48 seconds.
Mike Grimes, Customer Services and Planning Director at East Midlands Airport, said: “These scores show that customers value the experience they receive when they travel through East Midlands Airport. We have improved on the previous year and are performing above our targets.
“I’m proud of the staff who contribute to this, from landside operations to the terminal, whether supporting customers face to face or working behind the scenes.”
Unprompted Trustpilot reviews from June last year included:
“East Midlands Airport has very cheerful staff, no queues, as good as an airport can be.”
“What an amazing experience at East Midlands Airport, as a single parent travelling with two small children. All the staff were super helpful and made the experience effortless.”
“Arrived 20 minutes ago at Meet and Greet, took 5 minutes to check the car in. Now sat in the bar relaxing with a beer. Well done, EMA. If only all other airports were this easy!”
