Customer service and airport retail: Stimulate passenger spending

Abstract

What is the main reason for airports? The obvious answer, of course, is to enable people to fly. So why bother with retailing? The answer is equally simple — money. Many airports worldwide now make higher revenues from non-aeronautical services and facilities than from landing/airline fees. People fly more frequently, and flying itself has become a commodity through the rapid expansion of low-cost airlines. Once the preserve of airports, global fashion brands can now be found in many downtown locations, removing the uniqueness of this airport shopping experience. The price advantage for airports in Europe has been eroded by the demise of duty free and the move of focus away from material goods to spending on leisure activities. So can airport managers be expected to raise these levels of revenue? Pragma Consulting has undertaken passenger research into attitudes to processes at over 20 airports worldwide, collecting the views of over 30,000 passengers and offering some answers to these issues.