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Airport award helping the region reach new heights

Last Updated Mar 6, 2019 at 1:17 pm MDT

PHOTO. The Fort McMurray International Airport made the list of the world's top airports for customer experience. Melanie Walsh. MORNING NEWS ANCHOR.

The Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM) has been awarded a 2018 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Award by Airports Council International World.

Joining just one other airport, from the United States, YMM has received top honour for Canada as North America’s best regional airport for customer experience, serving under 2-million passengers annually.

RJ Steenstra, President and CEO of the Fort McMurray Airport Authority said the award means the airport is living up to their core values of having exemplary customer service.

“Our world-class team has earned a spot on the global stage. I’m extremely proud of what we’ve been able to achieve together.”

The award was given out based on feedback from almost 650,000 in-depth passenger surveys at 376 airports across 90 countries worldwide.

The survey is part of the ASQ program that uses meticulous methodology, quality control and impartiality, making it the global standard for measuring passenger satisfaction. It measures passenger satisfaction across 37 key performance indicators to help airports better understand and raise customer service standards.  It

In 2018, YMM conducted over 1,500 live ASQ surveys from travelers who rated their overall satisfaction on the day of travel, everything from amenities to wayfinding signage to ambience and security.

Mayor Don Scott couldn’t be more proud of the team at the airport.

“We want to see the airport get busier and busier, we want more people coming to the region for tourism and to live, this is the first point of contact and it gives a great impression, so the more people we have coming through, the better.”

The airport also plays a vital role to the socio-economic sustainability and prosperity of the region.

“When guests and potential investors come through YMM, they immediately form an opinion of what it means to live and or do business here. The ASQ Award helps us tell our local story, based on our most valuable resource – our people,” said Kevin Weidlich, President and CEO, Wood Buffalo Economic Development Corporation.