The SFO International Airport customer survey involving 2,831 respondents rated safety and cleanliness positively, achieving a high Net Promoter Score with 89% of passengers likely to recommend the airport. Key areas for improvement include security screening, restaurant food variety, and retail stores, with specific recommendations like enhancing support for elderly passengers and diversifying restaurant offerings. Overall, the survey highlights a strong passenger experience but indicates opportunities for enhanced services, especially for international travelers and business passengers.

1. SFO
International
Airport
Customer
Survey
Analysis
Pratim Ranjan De

2. SFO scores pretty well on the parameters of safety,
cleanliness & has an excellent average net promoter score
Respondents’ Summary
Positive feedback
2,831
Respondents
49%
Male
51%
Female
19%
16%
24%
18%
24%
No Response
Under $50K
$50K - $100K
$100K - $150K
Over $150K 26%
22%
20%
8%
8%
7%
7%
1%
Cab Service
Dropped off
Connecting Flight
Rental Car Center
Others
BART
Drove and Parked
No Response
210
345
234 192 212
136
140
300
254
240 220
141
Female Male
Respondent Demographics
(distribution by age)
Respondent Demographics
(distribution by income)
Respondent’s mode of arrival to
the airport
Before
11 AM
11 AM
to 5PM
After
5 PM
Sun 75 171 50
Mon 203 219 137
Tue 148 89 364
Wed 224 170 46
Thu 221 76 87
Fri 75 59 83
Sat 50 256 28
89%
Have given NPS
score of 8 – 10
(very likely to recommend)
NPS
Feel very safe at SFO;
98% have rated safety
as above average
Safety
86%
Are happy with the
cleanliness maintained at
the airport
Cleanliness
83%
Airport Overview
Overall Rating:
Passenger volume
(based on respondent data)
1,004
771
1,056
Domestic Off peak
Domestic Peak
International Flight
Types of departure flights taken by
passengers
Time spent at the airport
by passengers
Average Median
~2.5
hours
~2
hours
Top 3 international
destinations
• Asia
• Canada/Mexico
• Europe

3. Security screening, restaurant food variety and retail stores
can be improved further to enhance customer experience
Security Check
Restaurant/Food
Retail Stores
Wi-Fi
connectivity
Observations Recommendations
• Passengers who have faced problems have rated security screening the
lowest on average (3.86 vs. 4.39 for those who stated ‘no problems’)
• International passengers have also rated security screening lower than
domestic passengers
• Elderly passengers have highlighted that there was very little help from
airport staff with regards to their age related difficulties
• Train the security staff on handling passengers better; avoid being too
physical during the checking process
• Easy security screening process for differently abled passengers
(providing wheelchair access etc.)
• Help the elderly people carry/handle their luggage
• Encourage more people to sign up for TSA Pre Check for a smoother
experience
• Passengers on international flights or those travelling to larger
airports/hubs have rated the restaurant food much lower than others
• Passengers familiar with the airport have typically given higher ratings to
the food; while those who have started using this airport only recently, have
given lower ratings to the restaurant food
• Restaurants at gates 1-12, 20-39, 40-48 have received lower ratings
• Passengers on flights departing between 11 AM & 5 PM have given much
lower ratings to the restaurant food
• Introduce more global cuisines (especially French & Asian) at the
restaurants to ensure more footfall at restaurants
• Make sure that the food variety and standards at the restaurants are
at par with other major international hubs/airports
• Ensure adequate stock, variety & seating are available at the
restaurants during the peak hours at 11 AM to 5 PM
• Improve restaurant quality near boarding gates 1-12, 20-39 and 40-48
• 50% of the passengers have not purchased anything from the retail stores
• Passengers in the age group 25-64 have given ‘average’ ratings to the retail
& concession stores
• Also, international passengers have rated the retail stores lower than
domestic passengers
• Passengers travelling for business/work purpose seem to be unhappy with
the retail stores as they have given the lowest rating among all the
respondents who have provided their purpose of visit
• It would be good to introduce wider variety of retail stores at the airport
• Bring in more products that cater to the needs of
• Business travellers: like – books, business magazines,
accessories, etc.
• International travellers: like – travel adapters/converters, neck
pillow, earphones, etc.
• Introduce facilities like online ordering, quick pickups at various stores
especially for passengers who have shorter time until departure
• Passengers travelling for business purpose have rated the free airport wi-fi
service the lowest among all passenger groups
• The boarding area near the gates 1-12, 40-48, and 70-90 have received the
lowest ratings in terms of wi-fi connectivity
• Business travellers may have to get some work done while waiting for
their flights at the boarding area; hence it is imperative that wi-fi
connectivity is improved near these boarding gates
• It may also help to create quiet zones with fast wi-fi close to the
boarding gates to enhance the experience of such passengers
Areas of Improvement