Release of evaluation results for 2021 air transport services &
2022 evaluation plan with expanded survey from the second half
(Example) Passenger B wanted to thank the flight attendant and the airline for kindly guiding her and her father in a wheelchair to board safely, but she could not find a suitable way, so she left a complimentary message to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport through “e-People,” an online portal used by domestic and foreign residents to file a petition.
From now on, anyone can participate in a user satisfaction survey for air transport services in Korea by taking a QR code on banners or posters installed at the airports, leaving compliments and giving scores.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT, Minister Won Hee-ryong) has announced that it plans to streamline the methods of conducting user satisfaction surveys - a part of overall service evaluation of airlines and airports - from both face to face and online to online only from the second half of 2022.
At the same time, the Ministry plans to conduct the surveys on a constant basis, which have been done only during peak seasons such as holidays.
The results of the user satisfaction surveys are used as basic data for improving air transport services provided by airlines and airports.
MOLIT also announced the results of the “2021 Air Transport Services Evaluation” for eight flag carriers and six major airports of Korea according to the following elements and grades:
* (Evaluation elements) Punctuality, safety, consumer protection, and user satisfaction for airlines; and procedural promptness, baggage handling accuracy, ease of use, and user satisfaction for airports
(Grades & follow-up measures) Disclosure of grades from Excellent to Very Poor to the public; and promotion of service improvement
As for airlines, the satisfaction survey results show that users were satisfied with
the kindness of employees, ease of boarding, and convenience of reservation and ticketing services. In contrast, they were dissatisfied with the provision of information regarding flight delays or cancellations as well as air fares.
By airline, Korean Air was touted for its quarantine measure of dividing the boarding order of passengers by seat zone, while Asiana Airlines received positive feedback on its auto-check-in service for convenience.
* The auto-check-in service provides automatic check-in for passengers 24 hours prior to departure and sends them a mobile boarding pass in case it is valid for their destination airport.
On the other hand, Fly Gangwon lagged behind mainly due to the lack of operating routes, kiosks, and counters.
As for airports, users were content with the procedural facilities, convenience of mobile facilities, and kindness of employees, but pointed out that the airports need to add more parking and shopping facilities.
By airport, what was most satisfactory about the Incheon Airport was the cleanliness of its facilities, and what was found most content with the Cheongju Airport was the convenience of its parking facilities.
However, the Jeju Airport and the Daegu Airport were relatively poorly evaluated due to the lack of parking and shopping facilities, respectively.
The overall evaluation of airline services shows that Fly Gangwon (domestic flight) and Asiana Airlines (international flight) were ranked top for punctuality, Air Busan for safety, and Air Seoul for consumer protection. Meanwhile, the actual satisfaction survey among passengers put Korean Air at the highest spot.
All airports subject to evaluation received highest grades in terms of procedural promptness, baggage handling accuracy, and user satisfaction. When it comes to ease of use, the Incheon, Gimpo, and Gimhae Airports were graded one notch higher than the Jeju, Cheongju and Daegu Airports due to better access to commercial facilities as well as transport facilities for people with limited mobility.
Director Shim Ji-young of the Aviation Industry Division at MOLIT said, “With the streamlining of the survey methods and expansion of the period, we aim to encourage more travelers using airlines and airports to share their experience through a user satisfaction survey.”
She added, “We plan to reflect the survey results into the institutional systems in order to improve the overall services of airlines and airports.”
Furthermore, “2022 Air Transport Services Evaluation” including user satisfaction surveys will be made for ten flag carriers and 16 foreign airlines, as well as six major airports in Korea by the end of this year. The results are set to come out during the first half of 2023.
* (Selection criteria) Flag carriers in normal operation; foreign airlines that operate back-and-forth flights three or more times a week; and international airports with more than 1% share of passenger handling services
Foreign airlines that were excluded from the evaluation for 2021 due to COVID-19 will be included starting from 2022, and the number of foreign airlines subject to evaluation will likely increase gradually depending on their flight frequency.
Please refer to the attached PDF.