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INDUSTRY INSIDER April 2016 airportbusiness 29 ON IMPROVING THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE IN AIRPORTS We look at things like wayfin- ding, concessions, cleanliness and other features that affect the passenger experience. We know what matters most for passengers and we share that with airports. For exam- ple, Wi-Fi access wasn't even in the top 10 items 10 years ago; now it's in the top three. ON THE GLOBAL ACI-ICAO AIRPORT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL ACCREDITATION PROGRAMME We have heard from our CEOs that it has made a difference in the performance and behav- ior of graduates. We also have heard how valuable it is from our students. They are network- ing with airport professionals from around the world and they can't get that any other way. ON GLOBAL AIRPORT PASSENGER TRAFFIC GROWTH Even though China has slowed down, it still has a big popula- tion and many people moving into the middle class. It's slower, but it's still growth. Even Brazil, with all its problems, still has people moving into the middle class, so that's still growth. Gittens served as vice president of airport business services for Kansas City-based HNTB Corp., where she led the firm's practice in air- port business and strategic planning. And as vice president at Atlanta-based TBI Airport Management, she oversaw London Luton Airport's transition to private ownership. Gittens is a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and has served on numerous aviation industry boards and committees, including the FAA Management Advisory Committee, the FAA Research, Engineering and Development Committee, the National Civil Aviation Review Commission (the Mineta Commission), the executive committee of the Transportation Research Board, the Airport Cooperative Research Program Oversight Committee and the board of directors of JetBlue Airways. GLOBAL AIRPORT PASSENGER TRAFFIC GREW BY 6.1 PERCENT IN 2015. WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THIS GROWTH TO? It was very interesting. We almost saw a dis- engagement of air traffic demand from other factors that were always related in the past. We saw two main things in 2015. One, the emerg- ing economies that had been driving growth in aviation slowed down greatly. Every BRIC country except for India slowed in 2015. Two, we saw developed economies come back. There were big traffic increases in North America and Europe, which was somewhat of a reversal of trends that had been omnipresent in the past 10 years. We had geopolitical issues and health scares in 2015, but through it all, passenger traffic continued to grow. Even though China has slowed down, it still has a big population and many people moving into the middle class. It's slower, but it's still growth. Even Brazil, with all its problems, still has people moving into the middle class, so that's still growth. Overall, it was a mixed bag in 2015, but air service demand on the passen- ger side remained resilient. IN 2015, THERE SEEMED TO BE AN INCREASED INTEREST IN THE PAS- SENGER EXPERIENCE WITH AIRLINES. WHAT HAS ACI DONE TO WORK WITH MEMBERS ON IMPROVING THE PAS- SENGER EXPERIENCE IN AIRPORTS? We've done several things. We have the ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) program, which allows us to conduct a standardized survey around the world. We've been doing it for 10 years and we've gotten a lot of good data on what matters most to passengers. There are common threads and we give that data back to airport subscribers. We also provide guidance to airports on the topics that matter most. Airports can look at their scores and draw their own conclusions. We look at things like wayfinding, con- cessions, cleanliness and other features that affect the passenger experience. We know what matters most for passengers and we share that with airports. For example, Wi-Fi access wasn't even in the top 10 items 10 years ago; now it's in the top three. HOW DO YOU THINK THE ASQ PROGRAM HAS HELPED AIRPORTS AROUND THE WORLD STEP UP THEIR GAME WHEN IT COMES TO THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE? We have 319 airports involved in ASQ. The program gives them actual data, rather than anecdotes, complaint letters or items from a A ngela Gittens began her tenure as director general of Airports Council International (ACI) in 2008. Before coming to ACI, she served as airport CEO for Miami International Airport and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, along with a term as deputy director at San Francisco International Airport.