The voice of passengers: these are the best airports for customer experience, ACI World reveals
The 2025 ASQ Customer Experience Awards show airports outperforming other industries as passenger satisfaction continues to rise
MONTREAL, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Airports worldwide are outperforming other industries in customer experience, with passenger satisfaction continuing to rise, according to the 2025 ASQ Customer Experience Awards announced today by Airports Council International (ACI) World, in partnership with Gold sponsor SITA.
The results come amid continued traffic growth, with global passenger volumes expected to reach 9.8 billion in 2025 and projected to rise to 10.2 billion in 2026—placing increasing pressure on airports to deliver efficient, welcoming, and high-quality experiences at scale.
What are the ASQ Customer Experience Awards?
ASQ is the only global benchmarking program that measures passenger satisfaction from travellers while they are at the airport, when their experiences are live, providing the most accurate and timely picture of the passenger experience at each step of the journey. Passengers are randomly selected at departure and arrival gates using a scientifically designed sampling methodology, with surveys collected across all operating hours, days, and months.
Each year, the ASQ Customer Experience Awards recognize airports around the world that passengers have said performed best across multiple dimensions of the customer experience.
Highlights
- Passenger satisfaction increased globally despite continued traffic growth
- Nearly 707,000 passengers surveyed worldwide, in real time
- More than half of the world's air travellers passed through an ASQ-rated airport
- Border and Passport Control recorded the largest satisfaction gains globally
- Airport ambience and cleanliness were the strongest drivers of overall satisfaction
- Several award categories feature more than 35% new winners
"Airports are demonstrating that passenger satisfaction can continue to rise despite growing pressure," said ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci. "These awards reflect the collective efforts of airport teams and stakeholders worldwide. As we celebrate the ASQ program's 20th Anniversary, we recognize two decades of trusted insights and recognition that have helped airports create better and more memorable journeys. Congratulations to all the ACI ASQ Customer Experience Award winners for their unwavering dedication to passenger experience."
"Air travel is evolving at pace, with passengers expecting more seamless and rewarding experiences than ever before," said Pedro Alves, Senior Vice President of Borders, SITA. "These awards recognize the exceptional work happening across airports every day." Echoing this, Nathalie Altwegg, Senior Vice President, SITA at Airports, added: "Airports are raising the bar through innovation and dedication, and we're proud to stand alongside our partners as they continue to redefine the passenger journey."
What's driving higher passenger satisfaction
The 2025 ASQ results show that passengers increasingly value clean, welcoming airport environments and smooth, human-centred interactions. Improvements in Border and Passport Control highlight the critical role of frontline staff in reducing stress and uncertainty at key moments of the journey.
These findings align closely with insights from the ASQ 2026 Global Traveller Survey Report.
Recognizing excellence worldwide
The winners announced this year represent the largest pool yet: 100 airports worldwide were recognized for excellence in passenger experience, with 195 awards presented across all categories and regions, including:
- 88 Best Airports at Departures
- 23 Best Airports: Most Dedicated Staff
- 26 Best Airports: Easiest Airport Journey
- 23 Best Airports: Most Enjoyable Airport
- 29 Best Airports: Cleanest Airport
- 6 Best Airports at Arrivals
In addition, 8 airports were awarded the ACI World Director General's Roll of Excellence, recognizing their performance and consistency in delivering a high-quality passenger experience.
The 2025 ASQ Customer Experience Awards Ceremony
The 2025 ASQ Customer Experience Awards Ceremony will take place at the ACI World Airport Experience Summit in Istanbul, Türkiye from 31 August—4 September 2026. This prestigious annual gathering is the premier airport event dedicated to customer and employee experience and is set to welcome over 800 airport executives, customer experience experts, and related professionals to learn about the latest strategies shaping the industry.
About ACI
Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world's airports, is a federated organization comprising ACI World, ACI Africa, ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East, ACI EUROPE, ACI Latin America and the Caribbean and ACI North America. In representing the best interests of airports during key phases of policy development, ACI makes a significant contribution toward ensuring a global air transport system that is safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally sustainable. As of January 2026, ACI serves 811 members, operating over 2,200 airports in more than 160 countries worldwide.
About SITA
SITA is the air transport industry's tech engine, making travel safer, easier, and more sustainable. Serving around 2,500 customers, its technology supports more than 1,000 airports, 19,600 aircraft, and over 70 governments, while enabling 45–50% of global air transport data exchange. From advanced self-service and operations control to airport design and digital borders, SITA is shaping the next generation of travel, strengthened by acquisitions including Materna IPS, ASISTIM, and CCM. It is also expanding beyond aviation into cruise, rail, and urban air mobility through initiatives such as SmartSea.
Learn more at www.sita.aero.
Editor's notes
- Learn more about the ASQ program.
- View the full list of 2025 ASQ Customer Experience Winners.
- View the ACI World Director General's Roll of Excellence inductees.
- Learn more about the ACI World 2026 Airport Experience Summit.
- Note on methodology: Each airport must meet minimum quarterly sample requirements, with all surveys conducted by ASQ-certified field agents and audited by ACI World across more than 50 quality metrics. Only airports that successfully meet all ASQ quarterly quality audits qualify for ASQ Customer Experience Awards, ensuring recognition is based on verified, reliable, and consistently applied standards.
- SITA is a Gold Sponsor to the ASQ Customer Experience Awards for the Best Airports by Size and Region category.
SOURCE Airports Council International (ACI)
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