Development of level of service standards for airport facilities: Application to São Paulo International Airport

A methodology for developing level of service (LOS) standards at airport passenger terminals based on user perceptions is developed. The underlying concept is the derivation of quantitative values for passenger perceptions of service based on airport surveys. The check-in counter component is evaluated considering factors that have a bearing on the user perceptions of LOS: processing time, waiting time, and space available per person. The study uses data obtained from a passenger survey conducted at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil. The results indicate that we can derive quantitative perception scales from qualitative survey data. Finally, a multi-attribute analysis is done to obtain a composite evaluation of LOS at the check-in counter as a function of the waiting time, processing time, and space available.