Queenstown Airport’s first independent community sentiment survey
shows the airport is highly valued and used regularly by residents of the
Queenstown Lakes District.
The survey was conducted to understand the airport’s
current reputation and where there are opportunities to improve.
Almost all those surveyed (92%) saw Queenstown Airport as
important and almost two-thirds (64%) felt positively about it.
The survey found that 95% of respondents had used the airport in
the past year, with 5% using the airport weekly and 40% using it every two to three
months.
The overall satisfaction score of 64% includes people who felt
very positive to slightly positive about Queenstown Airport; 13% were neutral
and 23% were negative about Queenstown Airport.
The airport was valued for providing excellent connectivity, safety,
cleanliness, and for airport staff who were easy to deal with and helpful.
The contribution to the local and national economies was also
acknowledged.
Of respondents, 86% were aware the airport company is majority
owned by the Queenstown Lakes District Council and 89% were aware that QLDC
receives shareholder dividends from Queenstown Airport.
There’s room for improvement in the airport terminal and a desire
for upgrades to facilities to enhance the customer experience. Respondents also
highlighted the importance of community focus, and a need for the company to
improve communication and transparency.
“We have a vision to be an airport that people love to travel
through and the community takes pride in,” Queenstown Airport Chief Executive
Glen Sowry said.
“The insights available to us through this community survey will
be helpful as we work towards achieving our vision.
“While it is encouraging to see that our community highly values
Queenstown Airport, the survey also highlights that we have more work to do in
the way we engage and communicate, which will remain a focus.
“We’ll be completing community sentiment surveys annually and have
set a target to improve the satisfaction score each year and to achieve at
least 70% by 2026.”
The independent survey was conducted online between 17 April and
7 May 2023. Residents and ratepayers of the Queenstown Lakes District were
invited to participate. A total of 312 responses were received.
