Analysis of waiting times in the baggage claim area of an airport passenger terminal

Abstract

The development of level-of-service measures has been a major issue for airport operators worldwide. Research on the quality of airport passenger terminal services is being performed to reduce costs, redirect investment and increase the level of customer satisfaction. The main objective of this research is to develop standard waiting-time measures for luggage in airport baggage claim areas according to user perceptions. The present study applied psychometrical scaling theory using the method of successive categories to provide causal relationships between passenger perceptions and waiting times in baggage claim areas. Finally, the level-of-service standards proposed for Brazilian airports were compared with a similar airport in Canada. The results indicated that Brazilian passengers are slightly more demanding than Canadian passengers and those passengers in Fortaleza are the most demanding of the studied Brazilian airports.