The recent advertisement by the Airports Authority advising on its activities to improve its customer service is a welcome sign and it prompts me to add my own wish list for their attention.
1. Shoe removal—I urge our AA to follow the practice now common at several airports worldwide to spare senior citizens the humbug of removing their shoes; and/or to provide seating on exiting security so we can sit comfortably to put back on our shoes.
We are now forced to walk barefooted to our departure gates, shoes-in-hand.
2.—PA system: It’s too loud and comes over garbled; each discrete area should have its own speaker for customers to receive announcements at an appropriate decibel level; it should not be necessary to cease all conversations in order to hear an announcement. It seems as if there is one speaker for the entire airport for all to hear at the maximum volume.
3. Water fountains: These should be located for customer convenience. The entire check-in section has a single water fountain which also serves the food court and the departure area.
The two departure lounges have no water fountains; thirsty customers must trek back to the washroom area, or buy water at $9 a bottle.
4. Poor lighting at the check-in counters is challenging. The architects must have exhausted their budget.
5. Car park should have better signage. There are just three east-west lanes which motorists will easily remember, as opposed to six or seven “areas” which overlap these lanes.
6. Arriving passengers should be permitted to use the carts to carry luggage to their waiting vehicles. There is no need to “make work” for porters in a country which is short of labour.
Michael J Williams