We already know which airports are the most punctual, which ones are best loved by passengers and even the airports that are the most hated.
That leaves one burning question – when you take away all the fancy amenities like airport movie theaters and skating rinks, which facilities simply offer the best passenger service?
Airports Council International (ACI) offers the answers to that one, having just announced its 2014 Airport Service Quality Awards.
To obtain its results, ACI – a nonprofit organization based in Montreal with 591 members operating 1,861 airports in 177 countries – surveyed some 550,000 passengers prior to boarding their flights and asked them to rate their satisfaction with the airport that day.
Passengers in global airports were asked for their views on 34 key service indicators.
These include airport access, check-in, security, airport facilities, food and beverage and retail.
The responses are used to determine the top worldwide performing airports.
“Airports are more than simply points of departure and arrival,” says Angela Gittens, director general of ACI World, in a statement.
“They are complex businesses in their own right. As such, a focus on serving the passenger has become increasingly important to ensuring success.”
The awards are presented in four categories: Best airport by region; best airport by size; best small airport; and best improvement by region.
Best airport by region
Africa: SSR International Airport, Mauritius
Asia-Pacific: Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea
Europe: Keflavik International Airport, Iceland
Latin America-Caribbean: Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Middle East: Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, Jordan
North America: Indianapolis International Airport, Indiana, United States
Best airport by size
2-5 million passengers per year: Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport, Guayaquil, Ecuador
5-15 million passengers per year: Haikou Meilan International Airport, Hainan China
15-25 million passengers per year: Gimpo International Airport, Seoul, South Korea
25-40 million passengers per year: Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, India
Over 40 million passengers per year: Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea
Best small airport by region*
Africa: Upington Airport, South Africa
Asia-Pacific: Langkawi International Airport, Malaysia
Europe: Murcia-San Javier Airport, Spain
Latin America-Caribbean: Culiacan International Airport, Sinaloa, Mexico
North America: Victoria International Airport, British Columbia, Canada
*Fewer than 2 million passengers per year
Best improvement by region
Africa: SSR International Airport, Mauritius
Asia-Pacific: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, India
Europe: Pulkovo International Airport, St. Petersburg, Russia
Latin America-Caribbean: Las Americas International Airport,Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Middle East: Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, Jordan
North America: San Antonio International Airport, Texas, U.S.
For the full list of winners, visit the ACI website.