Month: March 2019

• At the 2019 Skytrax Awards, Quito Airport won Best Regional Airport in South America and 4-Star Airport for a fourth year in a row, and Best Airport Staff in South America for a third year in a row.

Quito Airport has once again been recognized at the Skytrax World Airport Awards, a benchmark of excellence for the world airport industry. At the 2019 event held in England, it picked up three awards highlighting its quality of service, efficiency, friendliness and security; key elements that have led to it being recognized as a first-rate airport in the region and comparable on a global scale.

The World Airport Awards is a non-profit section of Skytrax, created to ensure an ethical and independent awards process.According toEdward Plaisted of Skytrax: “we stated at the launch of our awarding procedures many years ago that we were providing a global awards programme for the airline industry that was not commercially influenced, and this remains a core guarantee”.

The Skytrax evaluation parameters unify the standards of airlines and airports across the globe.More than 13 million passengers and 100 nationalities rated their experience at 550 airports, evaluating traveler experiences across different airport service and product key performance indicators.

This is the only international airport quality rating applied using a direct and professional analysis of product and service quality standards, including two classifications: Airports rated from 1 to 5 stars and Regional Airports.

Mariscal Sucre International Airport has won Best Regional Airport in South America and 4-Star Airport for a fourth year in a row, and Best Airport Staff in South America for a third year in a row.

To select Quito Airport as a 4-Star Airport, the Skytrax team carried out an audit to evaluate the general performance and quality of services on offer. A team of professionals visited the airport to measure parameters such as transportation, ease of access, safety, immigration service and signage; quality of service and comfort were also taken into account.

The Best Regional Airportcategory rewards the quality offered by airports whose operations are focused on regional and/or domestic routes. Mariscal Sucre Airport is part of this recognition as it offers the highest standards of comfort and service to its customers.

Mariscal Sucre Airport also won Best Airport Staff in South America, an achievement which is thanks to the service provided by all the staff and entities who serve passengers as they travel through the airport, including security, airline, store and food & beverage staff, suppliers and authorities such as Immigration and Customs.

Andrew O’Brian, President and CEO of Quiport, said: “the challenge to remain among the top airports in the region and the world for infrastructure and quality of service is huge, and we embrace this by making every effort to find opportunities for continuous improvement. It gives us great pride to know that our customers and passengers have rated the staff who work at the airport’s companies and organizations as the best in the continent, which is essential to be selected as Best Regional Airport in South America and retain our 4-Star rating”.

Corporación Quiport’s commitment as the concessionaire of the city airport, and its joint work with municipal and government entities and private companies who operate at the airport, is reflected by its repeated success at these awards.

More information about the awards

• The survey was conducted from August 2017 to February 2018.
• Over 100 customer nationalities participated in the survey.
• The costs of operating the survey are paid entirely by Skytrax.
• Customer surveys were provided in English, Spanish, and Chinese.
• 550 airports are included in the survey results.
• No payment or reward of any type is made to survey respondents, with all submissions on a voluntary basis.
• No membership subscription, registration or any charge for an airport to be included in the survey.
• The customer survey is not restricted to member airports. Any airport in the world can be nominated in the survey.
• The awards event has no charge for airports to attend.

The online survey was hosted at

• Lounges in Ecuador, UAE, Latvia, Thailand and Mexico are among those recognized in annual poll based on 52,000 ratings

The original and market-leading airport experiences program, Priority Pass™, has revealed the winners of its Global Airport Lounge of the Year Awards. Whisky walls, private double-bed suites, spa treatments, and celebrity chef-endorsed menus are just some of the innovative offerings featured in the top-rated lounges, located in countries including Ecuador, United Arab Emirates, Latvia, Thailand and Mexico.

Now in its 14thyear, the awards are based on the ratings of 52,000 Priority Pass Members and recognize airport lounges offering the best service, experience, refreshments and business facilities. Priority Pass’ lounge portfolio has grown by 10% in the last year and now incorporates over 1,200 lounges in more than 500 cities globally, across 143 countries.

Global winner

This year’s global winner is the Sala VIP Internacional lounge operated by Corporación Quiport at Quito International Airport in Ecuador, the main gateway into the country and leading South American destination. The lounge menu, designed by local chef Andrés Miño, includes international and Ecuadorian cuisine, and guests can enjoy a variety of wines from the lounge’s private cellar, while watching Quito’s beautiful sunsets. This modern and elegant lounge is open around the clock and features private working spaces, dedicated sleeping areas, a massage room, and showers for guests to refresh themselves before a long flight or during a layover.

The Global Airport Lounge of the Year Awards analyses the results of votes across several categories including business facilities, comfort, service from lounge staff and food and drink. This year, Quito’s Sala VIP Internacional took the top spot in all of these categories.

Andrew O’Brian, Quiport president and CEO said:“It’s an honour to be named as the global winner of this year’s Global Airport Lounge of the Year Awards. We’re proud to offer a universal space where passengers can relax and unwind whilst still capturing the special Quito spirit – warmth, colour and great food!

“Taking in our famous sunsets while viewing the spectacular Andes landscape is a perfect way to relax before a flight and we’re thrilled that this unique experience, coupled with our excellent customer service, has left a lasting impression on our guests.”

Global Airport Lounge of the Year winners

• Global: Sala VIP Internacionalat Quito International Airport, Ecuador
• Europe:PrimeClass Riga Business Lounge, Riga International Airport, Latvia
• Africa and the Middle East:Ahlan Lounge at B Terminal 3,Concourse B, Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates
• Asia Pacific: Miracle First Class Lounge, International Concourse D, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand
• North America and the Caribbean:Lounge 19,Mexico City Benito Juarez International Airport, Mexico

Andy Besant, Director of Travel Experiences at Collinson, operator of Priority Pass, said:“Some less explored destinations have performed particularly well in this year’s rankings. As intrepid travel continues to rise, we’re noticing increased traffic in lounges at airports that are off the traditional tourist trail and veer from expected flight paths, highlighting the outstanding experiences that are offered in lounges the world over.

“Priority Pass is committed to offering its Members access to the best airport lounges across the world, and our global network of lounge partners ensures travellers can relax before their flight, improving their journey before it’s even started.”

Methodology

Priority Pass received over 52,000 ratings from its Members in this year’s awards via the lounge rating function on the Priority Pass website and app. Members provide ratings on a wide range of criteria covering overall lounge quality, refreshments, staff, business facilities and ambience.

About Priority Pass

Priority Passis the original and market-leading airport experiences program. It provides discerning frequent travelers access to over 1200 lounges and airport experiences in more than 500 cities across 143 countries, including lounges and access to a growing number of airport dining and spa offerings worldwide that can be accessed in the same way as lounges. Using the Priority Pass app for iOS and Android, Members can quickly and easily discover locations welcoming Priority Pass, instantly check their visit entitlement and use their Digital Membership Card to access airport lounges and experiences.

• Quito Airport is in seventh place for cargo volume among the airports of Latin America and the Caribbean

Express Ecuador announced the start of operations at Quito International Airport from March 11 with six weekly flights (from Monday to Saturday). The global logistics and transport giant backs this new operation in Quito in the airport’s infrastructure and the highly efficient logistics enabling a growing development of cargo transport. DHL will operate with a Boeing 737-400.

Quito Airport, operated and managed by Corporación Quiport, has an area of 45,000 m2dedicated exclusively to air cargo operations. It includes the domestic and international cargo terminals, a cargo apron which can receive six large aircraft simultaneously and the respective taxiways,offering the best air cargo infrastructure in the country.

“This new connection will create a great impact in the export sector, since it will give companies and individuals a new and swift opportunity to dispatch goods directly from the capital of the country to international markets”, said Edith Villavicencio, general manager of DHL Express Ecuador. The DHL Express representative added that the company seeks to support Ecuadorian business people based in Quito and the surrounding areas to make their logistics chains more efficient and to make them more competitive on a global level.

Andrew O’Brian, President and CEO of Corporación Quiport, said: “for Corporación Quiport it is very important to strengthen the transport of cargo, since we are the principal air cargo airport in Ecuador. This is making Quito Airport an increasingly prominent hub for development, strengthening not only tourism but also productive export activities, especially flowers but also fruit, other perishable goods and dry cargo such as handicrafts.”

This is confirmed by the Deputy Minister for Industrial and Territorial Competitiveness, Juan Sebastian Salcedo, who says that what has been achieved with Quiport is a successful example of the public-private partnerships that can be achieved in the country.

In the context of this new air cargo offer Álvaro Maldonado, Secretary for Competitiveness and Productive Development of the Municipality of Quito, commented: “Quito Airport continues to consolidate as one of the most important cargo airports in the region. Transporting our products to the world by DHL means more jobs, more opportunities, more business, trade and commerce for our city and our country. Its presence makes us more competitive. Welcome DHL!”