More satisfied with security check

The numbers speak for themselves. Never before has the waiting time at the security checkpoint at Oslo Airport been shorter than this summer. On average, passengers spent two minutes in security. In addition, customer satisfaction has been rising each year.

In the period 15 June to 31 August, 2,660,000 passengers passed through security, an average of 35,000 passengers per day. The busiest day was Sunday, 21 June when 44,865 passed through.

Knut Holen, Director of Terminal Operations, says that the airport has been working systematically and persistently since last summer to provide summer 2015 travellers with the shortest possible waiting times in security.

“We have worked in a targeted manner to keep waiting times down, so it’s wonderful to affirm that 99.97 per cent of passengers spent less than fifteen minutes queuing through security. In fact, the average transit time been two minutes,” says Holen, adding:

“The security check is looked upon as a stress factor by many, so it is particularly important to us that this part of the journey goes smoothly. The fact that we handled the summer traffic with such short waiting times is very gratifying to us.”

Increased customer satisfaction

Oslo Airport is committed to providing travellers with a positive experience in the security check. To examine whether the airport is achieving its goal, more than 1,000 travellers are surveyed each year about the security check. All measurement parameters show a positive trend, indicating that overall satisfaction is increasing from year to year.

“We work every day to provide better service in the security check and it is satisfying to see that there is a positive trend. We also know that we face a challenging period until we open the new terminal in 2017,” says Holen.

Security officers are increasingly viewed as showing concern for the welfare of travellers. They are also perceived as more customer friendly and efficient.

“All security checkpoint staff take service courses as part of their training. This approach enables employees to improve how they perform their jobs in a way that translates into a more pleasant travel experience passengers,” says Holen.

Good immediate feedback

In addition to the annual survey, Oslo Airport also has feedback monitors located behind the security check where travellers can instantly provide their feedback.

“This is a tool we use on an ongoing basis to measure customer satisfaction, and to see what travellers are not satisfied with. During the summer (June to August), 276,057 travellers stopped at the feedback monitors, and 81% of these pressed the green smiley face (top score), something we are happy with. But we want to be even better,” says Holen.

New security regulations - fewer hand searches

On 26 August, Oslo Airport implemented new EU security legislation. Under the new rules, random hand searches of passengers are being replaced by checks using an Explosives Trace Detector (ETD).

“We are absolutely confident that passengers at Oslo Airport will experience this as a positive change because we know that travellers are uncomfortable with manual checks. Checks using a particle detector provide an even faster and better experience in security. At the same time, security is handled in a better way,” says Holen.

The annual surveys are conducted in collaboration with TNS Gallup