Rok 2023 niesie ze sobą spore wyzwania i obietnice zarówno dla europejskich podróżnych, jak i portów lotniczych. W trzeciej edycji Europejskiego konsumenckiego indeksu portów lotniczych firma Consumer Choice Center udoskonaliła i zaktualizowała swoje rankingi, korzystając z danych dostarczonych przez lotniska, z raportów rocznych, statystyk internetowych i własnych niezależnych badań.

Warszawskie Lotnisko Chopina zadebiutowało w Indeksie portów lotniczych jako pierwsze polskie lotnisko w rankingu. W 2022 r. lotnisko obsłużyło 14,4 mln pasażerów, co świadczy o rosnącym znaczeniu Polski jako lidera w Europie Wschodniej i zarazem pokazuje znaczenie izolacji Rosji na arenie międzynarodowej.

Kilka najlepszych portów lotniczych w naszym indeksie nadal pozostaje w czołówce: w zestawieniu prowadzą lotniska w Zurychu, Brukseli i Frankfurcie jako trzy najlepsze porty lotnicze w Europie pod względem obsługi pasażerów.

Oceniając lotniska, wzięliśmy pod uwagę kilka czynników, od lokalizacji portu i obsługi transportowej po dostępność przyjaznych konsumentom udogodnień, takich jak sklepy i restauracje. Skupiliśmy się również na czasie oczekiwania na kontrolę bezpieczeństwa i średniej liczbie opóźnień lotów.

„Ten indeks jest istotnym źródłem informacji dla podróżnych, którzy chcą jak najlepiej wykorzystać czas podczas lotów w Europie. Złe doświadczenia na lotnisku mogą negatywnie odbić się na dobrych wspomnieniach z udanej podróży. Cieszymy się, że możemy udostępnić nasze najnowsze rankingi podróżnym z całego świata, aby mogli lepiej się przygotować i latać wygodniej” – wyjaśnia Emil Panzaru, kierownik ds. badań w Consumer Choice Center.

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2023 is shaping up to be a story of both great challenge and great promise for European travelers and airports alike. In our third edition of the European Consumer Airport Index, the Consumer Choice Center has refined and updated our rankings using data provided to us by airports, annual reports, online statistics, and our own independent research.

Several of the best-performing airports in our index remain at the top: Zurich, Brussels, and Frankfurt lead the pack as the top 3 airports in Europe for passengers.

We used several factors to assess airports ranging from their location and transportation services to the availability of consumer-friendly amenities like shops and restaurants. There’s also a focus on security waiting times, and the average caseload of flight delays.

“This index is a vital resource for travelers looking to get the most out of their experience flying in Europe. An awful airport experience can be a black mark on an otherwise incredible adventure, and we’re pleased to share our latest rankings with the world so they can be more prepared and fly smarter,” said Emil Panzaru, Research Manager with the Consumer Choice Center.

Read the full text here

2023 is shaping up to be a story of both great challenge and great promise for European travelers and airports alike. In the third edition of the European Consumer Airport Index, the Consumer Choice Center has refined and updated the rankings using data provided by airports, annual reports, online statistics, and independent research. 

Several of the best-performing airports in the index remain at the top: Zurich, Brussels, and Frankfurt lead the pack as the top 3 airports in Europe for passengers.

Several factors were used to assess airports ranging from their location and transportation services to the availability of consumer-friendly amenities like shops and restaurants. There’s also a focus on security waiting times, and the average caseload of flight delays. 

“This index is a vital resource for travelers looking to get the most out of their experience flying in Europe. An awful airport experience can be a black mark on an otherwise incredible adventure, and we’re pleased to share our latest rankings with the world so they can be more prepared and fly smarter,” said Emil Panzaru, Research Manager with the Consumer Choice Center. 

Read the full text here

Forbrugerorganisationen Consumer Choice Center mener ikke, at det er en god idé at forlænge suspensionen af EU-slotreglerne hen over vinteren, som er foreslået af lufthavne og flyselskaber.

I sidste uge meddelte en række europæiske luftfartsorganisationer, at man ønsker suspensionen af slotreglerne i EU-lufthavne forlænget hen over den kommende vintersæson. Reglerne har været suspenderet gennem sommertrafikprogrammet og er det fortsat frem til 24. oktober.

Forslaget fra de europæiske lufthavne og flyselskaber får dog kraftig modstand fra Consumer Choice Center, der er en international forbrugerorganisation, som repræsenterer forbrugere i over 100 lande verden over. Organisationen har netop sendt et brev til generaldirektør Henrik Hololei i EU-Kommissionen, hvori der udtrykkes stor bekymring over, at kommissionen overvejer at forlænge suspensionen af slotreglerne.

”Forlængelsen vil skabe den situation, hvor de største flyselskaber får en chance for at monopolisere slottider, hvilket gør det umuligt for de mindre at komme ind. Et sådant skridt vil være yderst protektionistisk, forvridende og ville gøre mere skade end gavn,” siger Fred Roeder, administrerende direktør i Consumer Choice Center.

Skal normalt operere mindst 80 procent
EU-Kommissionen godkendte den midlertidige suspension af reglerne om anvendelse af lufthavnsslots (start- og landingstilladelser, red.) i slutningen af marts. Suspensionen gjaldt sommersæsonen over som følge af coronakrisens konsekvenser.

Normalt skal flyselskaber operere mindst 80 procent af de slottider, som de har fået tildelt. Dette ud fra den såkaldte 80-20-regel. Hvis ikke selskaberne formår dette, risikerer de at miste retten til slottiderne i næste tilsvarende sæson. Myndighederne kan dog lempe på disse krav under særlige omstændigheder.

EU-Kommissionen vurderede coronakrisen som en særlig omstændighed, og de europæiske lufthavne og flyselskaber lægger således nu pres på for at få forlænget suspensionen. Der er tale om ACI Europe (ACI), Airlines for Europe (A4E), Airlines International Representation in Europe (AIRE), International Air Transport Association (IATA) og European Association of Slot Coordinators (EUACA), som sammen håber, at kommissionen forlænger.

Nye aktører bør få muligheder
Consumer Choice Center er som beskrevet lodret uenig med lufthavnene og flyselskaberne, da slottiderne konstant bør kunne bevæge sig fra selskab til selskab.

”Ejerskabet af lufthavnsslots bør ikke være statisk. Tværtimod bør ejerskabet konstant skifte mellem flyselskaber for at garantere den mest effektive tildeling af faciliteterne og tilskynde til ansvarlig brug af lufthavne. Slotreglerne er i denne forstand fair og retfærdige og skal opretholdes til enhver tid,” påpeger Maria Chaplia, europæisk medarbejder i Consumer Choice Center.

Fred Roeder supplerer med, at det, der er brug for i øjeblikket, er flere forbindelsesmuligheder – og ikke færre.

”Forlængelse af suspensionen vil sandsynligvis holde antallet af flyforbindelser og destinationer langt under niveauet fra før COVID-tiden. Det kan være det rigtige tidspunkt nu for nye aktører at komme ind på markedet for at forbinde mennesker over hele Europa og verden,” siger han.

Vicepræsidenten i IATA, Rafael Schvartzman, har tidligere blandt andet argumenteret med, at en fortsat ophævelse af slotreglerne er essentiel for at sikre, at flyselskaberne ikke flyver med tomme fly. Ligesom en fortsat suspension vil muliggøre flyvning på den mest bæredygtige måde, har han sagt.

Originally published here.

The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

The Consumer Choice Center recently published its second annual European Airport Index, highlighting the top airports in Europe ranked by passenger-friendliness.

The index should be used to inform both consumers and administrators as to who is doing the best job, accommodating passengers.

The top 5 airports according to the study are Zurich, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Manchester, and Brussels airports.

Fred Roeder, Managing Director of the Consumer Choice Center, said the ranking shows consumers which airports allow social distancing and where to connect ideally.

“This year has been one of the most challenging for the global travel industry. Many airports were closed for weeks or even months. While travel slowly recovers we want to inform consumers which airports are the most convenient to travel from and to in Europe. Airports with more space per passenger rank higher in our analysis. This is helpful to know for travelers who try to maintain distance from others. If you have to travel this Summer, you might want to consider starting or ending your journey at well-designed airports such as Zurich, Düsseldorf, or Copenhagen.

“High points were awarded to the airports that offered great destinations around the world, but also a healthy mix of shops, restaurants, and conveniences found at the airport. This year we also added extra points for Covid-19 testing facilities at airports.

“In order to prevent a negative passenger experience and pick the optimal hubs for future trips, we examined Europe’s 30 largest airports (by passenger volume) and ranked them in terms of passenger experience, ranked according to a mix of factors ranging from location and transportation options to in-airport experience and flight network access.”

“Other factors determined in the ranking included direct jet bridges, rather than bus boarding, proximity to the city center, the number of lounges, low security waiting times, and on-time performance by airlines. Bonus points were awarded to airports with pre-clearance for US flights and the ability to broadcast security wait times. We do hope that air travel will eventually recover and passengers use our index to choose the right airport” said Roeder.

The full report is available here.

Originally published here.

The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org