Let’s make BIA passenger-friendly

Ihave been using the Katunayake Airport (BIA) at least three times a year for the past 29 years or so. I thought of penning a few suggestions for the authorities since I have noticed stagnation of certain services without much improvement. Since Sri Lanka is going to depend on tourism for much needed foreign exchange, providing a good impression and pleasant experience for tourists at their first point of contact is important.

Almost all the passengers use the airport toilets at least once through their airport journey. So toilets need to be spotlessly clean and well maintained. Well dressed trained staff need to man them as well.

Immigration should be fast. Foreigners should have separate counters. People hate waiting and it gives a long-lasting negative impression. Optimizing the queue management is a must. Movement through a one-line queue system is much faster. Also passengers often think they’re being treated ‘unfairly’ when there are multiple lines. “Fairness” is a significant factor influencing people’s perception of wait times and their experience in the airport.

Many times passengers get confused about queue lines. Therefore, customer assistants should be proactive and move around and speak to the passengers clearing their doubts.

Politeness and pleasantness are the most important factors above all in customer service and unfortunately that’s what our airport staff lack the most. They need to be friendly, smiling and accessible.

Immigration officers while showing their authority need to be passenger friendly. They should not consider the passengers as illegal immigrants to the country. Staff members should not be allowed to use mobile phones while on duty. This is a problem everywhere nowadays. Implementing CCTV cameras is one way this menace can be controlled.

All these are applicable to arrival as well as departure areas.

The Foreign Employment Bureau must be more active to identify Middle East workers who need assistance from immigration to the departure gates. They should assist them in finding suitable safe transport to their final destinations. They are often exploited by unscrupulous people at the Duty Free and taxi drivers too. We should not forget their contribution to the country all these years and must treat them in a more respectful manner.

Finally, our airport needs a complete picture of passenger sentiment in order to ensure a good customer experience. An Arrivals and Departures Survey, will give a general picture of what passengers are thinking, doing and feeling as they move through their airport journey.

Dr Janak B. Abayakoon Via email