PASSENGER SATISFACTION

OF

RAJIV GANDHI INTERNATIONAL

GMR AIRPORT

HYDERABAD A MINI PROJECT REPORT

Submitted by

S.Purnima09GSB030

Gnanam School of Business

Mary’s Nagar, Trichy-Thanjavur Expressway,

Sengipatti-613402, Thanjavur – Dist. Tamilnadu

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATECertified that this mini-project report “PASSENGER SATISFACTION ON RAGIV GANDHI

INTERNATIONAL GMR AIRPORT HYDERABAD” is the bonafide work of “S.PURNIMA” who carried out the mini-project work under my supervision.

SIGNATURE SIGNATURE

Dr. s. Ramanathan Ms. Sriji. E.S

Director Lecturer

Gnanam School of Business Gnanam School of Business

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, I would like to thank the Almighty for providing me with strength to complete this project.

I feel deeply feel indebted to my Director, MR. S. RAMANTHAN , who was the strength and encouragement behind every student and Ms.E.S Sriji faculty coordinator for providing support and guidance all the time . I also, take this opportunity to thank MS. M.SRUTHI, Terminal operations executive GMR Airport Hyderabad for providing me an opportunity to take this project work and under whose guidance whole of the project has been completed.

My sincere thanks to CEO S.P.S.Arul Doss for guiding me in completing my project and also to my friends, for supporting at every juncture which helped me to complete this project work in time .

S.PURNIMA

CHAPTER NO TITLE

1. OBJECTIVE OF STUDY

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

3. INTRODUCTION

4.AIRPORT INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

5.GMR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

REASONS

SALIENT FEATURES

6. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

7. QUESTIONNAIRE

8. REFERENCE

OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of this study was to implement and test an objective approach tomeasure passenger satisfaction of airport service quality.

LITERATURE REVIEW:

Aviation trade publications and airport press releases provide evidence that managers in the airport industry clearly understand the importance of their customers’ perceptions of service quality (Aeroporti di Roma S.p.A., 2004; Bomenblit, 2002; Gooding, 1999). Academic and industry researchers regularly measure passenger perceptions of airport services quality to benchmark performance metrics directly from the “voice” of the customer (Chen, 2002), toidentify opportunities for service improvement (Yeh and Kuo, 2002) and to avoid losing valuable passenger traffic (Rhoades et al., 2000). In addition, airport marketers research passenger needs and wants for the purposes of enhancing non-aviation related revenues from restaurant and retail offerings (Danyliew and Cohen, 1997; Harrison, 1996). The nature of the expectations underlying airport service quality perceptions is unclear. Unlike the more widely accepted gap-theory model for measuring service quality (i.e., subtracting a customer’s perceived level of service received from what was expected), both academic and commercial airport researchers are more likely to measure service quality by establishing and monitoring service performance measures which may or may not be informed by direct customer input (Yeh and Kuo, 2002). Often, these measures are internal (e.g., number of complaints, wait / service time for baggage delivery or check-in). Internal measures of service performance are useful for benchmarking processes, but at the same time suspect because these measures are typically derived from managers rather than from passengers, thus lacking a true customer perspective. Even when service performance measures are external – intended to measure theattitudes and opinions of customers directly – the lack of a systematic understanding of airport customers’ expectations makes it likely that what is measured will be those attributes that are the most obvious and easy to operationalize. The net result can be a misguided effort to improve service quality in ways that are unimportant to customers, thus failing to offer the value thatdrives customer choice among alternatives.

Introduction

The airport industry is changing rapidly. Today’s air travelers have meaningful choices among airports and there is an increasing urgency among airport marketers to differentiate themselves by meeting the needs of customers better than the competition. While passengers’ perception of airport service quality is only one of several variables (e.g., routes, scheduling, location and prices) that contribute to overall airport attractiveness, it is nevertheless an important variable because of the increasing importance of a customer orientation to competitive advantage in thisindustry.

Aviation trade publications and airport press releases provide evidence that managers in the airport industry clearly understand the importance of their customers’ perceptions of service quality, but the nature of the expectations underlying airport service quality perceptions is unclear. Internal measures of service performance are useful for benchmarking processes, but at the same time suspect because these measures are typically derived from managers rather than from passengers, thus lacking a true customer perspective. Even when service performance measures are external – intended to measure the attitudes and opinions of customers directly – the lack of a systematic understanding of airport customers’ expectations makes it likely that what is measured will be those attributes that are the most obvious and easy to operationalize. The net result can be a misguided effort to improve service quality in ways that are unimportant to customers, thus failing to offer the value that drives customer choice among alternatives.

Airport industry overview

Airports have been a consistent growth segment in the travel and transportation industry. Over the last several decades, the global aviation industry has sustained annual growth rates of five to six percent. More than 5.2 billion passengers passed through the world’s airports in 2009.

Airport customers are remarkably varied and include passengers, airlines, employees, concessionaires, tenants and others. This study focuses on passengers (air travelers) – the end users of airport facilities and services. Passenger behavior and expectations of the airport experience depend on the type of traveler, purpose of trip and his or her circumstances. Despite their differences, however, all these customers are at the airport for the sole purpose of transferring from ground-based to air modes of transportation. The airport is not a destination forair travelers. It is a transition point.

At the airport, passengers encounter a bundle of tangible and intangible services in a physical setting that might characterize as an “elaborate servicescape,” similar to a hospital, with many corridors, queues, signs and complex interactions. It is common for passengers to spend an extended period of time in the airport servicescape, averaging over one hour once they have entered the terminal

Introduction to GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL)

GHIAL was the first of the Greenfield airport under PPP in 2001 pioneeringthe Government‘s Airport Infrastructure Up gradation drive. At that point oftime all the major airports were experiencing major capacity constraints. Theinfrastructure available was not equipped to cater to growing air travelmarket. The Government of India had to invest in the up-gradation ofairports infrastructure for which no fiscal support was provisioned. Based onthis premise, the Government opened the airport industry for privateinvestment. It is thus important, for the Authority to consider the policy ofthe Government for Development of Airport Infrastructure and also to keep inmind the approach to privatization of airports. Globally none of the fullyprivatized airports are on single till barring BAA which was privatized in 1986.The Concession agreement formed the basis of international bidding process.The terms under which the airports would be regulated were a centralcomponent of both bidding and investment decisions.

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, is an international airport near Shamshabad, about 22 km (14 mi) from the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.It is a hub for Jet Lite, SpiceJet and IndiGo. It also serves as a focus city for Air India, Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines. Hyderabad international airport has been named amongst the world's top five in the annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) passenger survey along with the ones at Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing.

Reasons for GMR choosing this project

o Hyderabad is ranked as the No. 1 Indian Information Technology Enabled Services destination by NASSCOM, the premier trade body for IT services in India.

o Andhra Pradesh (AP) accounts for about 23% of software professionals in India. Nearly 23% of the software professionals in the United States of America are from AP.

o Andhra Pradesh is one of the biggest all-India markets for North American traffic. 10% all-India traffic to North America is contributed by Hyderabad.

Andhra Pradesh is known as a tourist destination, with a focus on:

o Temple tourismo Buddhist tourismo Medical Tourism

AP ranks 7th when it comes to foreign tourist visits in India and is the top domestic tourist destination in India with a dominating market share of 24.3%.

Located strategically at the geographical centre of India within a two hour flying time to all the major cities in India, Hyderabad is well positioned and within a four hour radius from all major cities in the Middle East and South East Asia. Thus, it has the potential to not only become one of the main air travel hubs in India, but also an important center for destination-cum-transit location for travel between the East and the West. Currently, there are 11 international and 9 domestic airlines operating from Hyderabad flying to over 35 destinations.

SALENT FEATURES

Handling 12 million passengers per year.

check -inn counters -- 146 75 m India Tallest Air Traffic Control Tower ( ATC) Enhanced Security Features 4 - Level Baggage Screening 12 Aero – Bridges Duty - Free , Plaza Premium Lounge, Nap & Shower Facility 24 Hrs Medical & Pharma Services Wi- Fi Connectivity Crash Fire & Rescue Station Unique Airport Village with shopping Arcade 10 Exit Taxiways Food & Beverage Outlet

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

I employed the following method to carry out my research.

Development of instruments for gathering the information-Questionnaire

Identification of target population and determination of sampling plan

Determination of the sample size –I have targeted 100 people for the purpose of research

Data collection-It took place with the help of filling questionnaires.

Design of procedure for information collection.

Data Collection:

The method I used for research was to obtain data. They are classified into

Primary data-Information gathered by questionnaire.

Secondary data-Data obtained from books and websites.

Data Analysis:The responses of the respondents are counted and reproduced in the form of pie charts.

Limitations of the Study:The scope of study is limited to the respondents who are selected only from

Hyderabad.

The sample size was only 100 respondents.

The project is carried out for a period of 5 days only.

FINDINGS1. Satisfaction of the direction signage at the airport

Airport signage can be used to direct traffic or guide travelers through airport facilities. These directional signs will put the visitors at ease as they travel through the airport. GHIA is Providing clean, clear, and highly visible signage for airport visitors from various destinations.

yes82%

no18%

satisfaction

2. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE AIRPORT

45%

35%

20%

Physcial envirnomentexcellent good satisfactory poor

In balance with the social and physical environment GHIAL, Airport exists to play an enduring role in meeting the growing demand for air travel. Society, on the other hand, attaches greater and greater weight to a green environment and cleaner air.

3. CROWD HANDLING AT THE AIRPORT:

45%

36%

14%

5%

CROWD HANDLINGexcellent good satisfied 4th Qtr

To better manage the increasing number of passengers at the terminals, the Airport Authority, Police, airport security staff, airlines and ground handling agents work together to prepare designated areas for passengers of different airlines to queue up for check-in. Additional staff and signage are arranged to facilitate passenger flow and maintain terminal order.

4. SPATIAL LAYOUT AND FUNCTIONALITY OF THE AIRPORT

38%

32%

22%

8%

FUNCTIONALITYexcellent good satisfied poor

Terminal’s interior architecture adopts an intuitive spatial layout, promoting ease of orientation and the optimization of natural light. The design implements the concept of ‘total journey experience’, an approach that focuses on the needs and experiences of the passenger at every stage of their travel process, from drop-off to departure, arrival to pick-up. This strategy supports a feeling of human scale and integrates functional planning with passenger facilities.

The design philosophy for the terminal is to create a memorable airport experience which captures the Singaporean sense of place and reinforces its user friendliness and amenity.

5. AMBIENCE OF AIRPORT

62%

30%

7%

1%

AMBIENCEexcellent good satisfied poor

The Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has tied up with Plaza Premium

Lounge of Hong Kong for maintaining and managing Lounges in the airport. The spacious lounges are located at both Domestic and International areas on the airside and at the Arrivals on the landside. The design concept is contemporary, stylish and serene. The space is efficiently utilized to create a sense of calm and simplicity which is extremely soothing to the mind and body in alleviating weariness and stress after a long flight.

6. THE AIRLINE SERVICE PROVIDERS AT AIRPORT

50%

34%

10% 6%

AIRLINE SERVICESEXCELLENT GOOD SATISFIED POOR

Emirates LufthansaSaudi AirlinesKLM SriLankan AirwaysQatar AirwaysMalaysian AirlinesOman AirlinesSingapore Airlines

Air IndiaIndian AirlinesJet AirwaysAir SaharaKingfisher AirlinesSpiceJetGoAir Deccan Airways  

7. SERVICES OFFERED BY THE AIRPORT

39%

35%

16%

10%

SERVICESEXCELLENT GOOD SATISFIED POOR

Business centre : A business centre with conveniences like conference facilities, meeting facilities, high speed photocopying, faxing, printing services, email and broadband internet access are provided for the comfort of the business traveller.

Self Service Buffet Counters and Drinks Bar : A sumptuous array of food, juices and a bar is available. The area overlooks the airport runway and users get to enjoy the view of planes taking off and landing.

Guest Services : To assist children and elderly passengers to relax. Medical facilities like first aid are also provided.

Shower Facilities & Napping Areas : Modern shower rooms with attached dress areas and private napping suites for passengers who need to catch up with some rest.

8. CONNECTIVITY OF THE AIRPORT

42%

37%

18%

3%

CONNECTIVITYEXCELLENT GOOD SATISFIED POOR

An eight lane access controlled outer ring road, which is coming up in concentric circles around the city, will eventually lower the time taken for those travelling from the knowledge hub area — this includes the University of Hyderabad, BHEL, CS Rao’s IRDA and Indian School of Business — from 45-50 minutes today to 20-25 minutes to the airport. The opening of the first stretch which was due for this March has also been delayed to around September-October.  Eventually, airport authorities speak of a mono rail transport system (MRTS), a dedicated airport train from the city to the airport and a metro link — but when you do the drive today, it sounds like a bit of a pipe dream.

CONCLUSIONS

An airport creates the traveller’s first and last impression of a city or country, and it is a known fact that a pleasant airport experience encourages spending and influences future travel plans. With a large portion of revenues coming from non-aeronautical sources, customer satisfaction also makes good business sense.At the same time, airlines are also airport “customers”. As the airlines modify, expand and improve their services, they want to be sure that airports deliver services that are of consistent quality to match the airline offering.

The GMR Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has been rated in the top five best airports among the 5-15 million passengers capacity airport in the world by the Airports Council International (ACI) in its Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey.

RGIA is also the first airport in Asia and second in the world to be awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design ) Silver Rating for its eco-friendly design.

This makes RGIA to be the passengers preferred choice for their arrival and departure giving them the necessary satisfaction.

QUESTIONNAIRE

1. NAME:2. AGE:3. CONTACT NO:4. LOCATION:5. OCCUPATION

6. ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE DIRECTION SIGNAGE AT THE AIRPORT? YES NO

7. WHAT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE AIRPORT? EXCELLENT GOOD SATISFACTORY POOR

8. RATE THE CROWD HANDLING AT THE AIRPORT IN A SCALE OF 1-5?

9. WHAT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SPATIAL LAYOUT AND FUNCTIONALITY OF THE AIRPORT? EXCELLENT GOOD SATISFACTORY POOR

10. RATE THE AMBIENCE OF AIRPORT IN A SCALE OF 1-5?

11. WHAT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE AIRLINE SERVICE PROVIDERS AT AIRPORT? EXCELLENT GOOD SATISFACTORY POOR

12. RATE THE SERVICES OFFERED BY THE AIRPORT IN A SCALE OF 1-5?

13. WHAT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE CONNECCTIVITY OF THE AIRPORT? EXCELLENT GOOD SATISFACTORY POOR

14. RATE THE AIRPORT IN A SCALE OF 1-5?

15. ANY COMPLAINTS OR SUGGESTIONS____________________________________

Scaling : 1 – excellent, 2- good, 3 satisfactory ,4- poor, 5 – no comments

Bibliography:

http://www.hyderabad.aero.com

www. icao .int

Air transport management by Ravichandran

www.iata.org

Managing Airports by Anne Graham