Zurich Airport that for years languished as an unheralded airport tucked into northern Switzerland, has become one of the top airports in the world. It has been ranked in the top 10 regularly during the last decade and this year is ranked as the best in Europe.
The World Airport Awards, voted on by millions of passengers, in the Skytrax poll listed these as the top 10 in the world. No U.S. airports are on the list.
2009 rank/Airport Name/2008 rank
1 Incheon International Airport 3
2 Hong Kong International Airport 1
3 Singapore Changi 2
4 Zurich 8
5 Munich 5
6 Kansai 6
7 Kuala Lumpur 4
8 Amsterdam 11
9 Centrair Nagoya 12
10 Auckland 20
Passengers from almost 100 countries completed questionnaires rating their experiences at 190 airports across the world.
About a decade ago the Zurich Airport shifted their focus to passenger service rather than simply catering to the airlines. That decision to make passengers their primary customers rather than the airlines has make a dramatic difference in the airport rankings. Amsterdam’s Schipol airport had long dominated the rankings until Zurich began their intensive customer service.
The airport runs a central office where airline arrivals, baggage movements, customs, security and catering all can easily communicate to coordinate the airport activities based on providing the best customer service possible. This approach has kept this once-unknown airport at the forefront of airport service and international rankings.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
