ACI World: Passenger Satisfaction Rises as 100 Airports Earn 2025 ASQ Customer Experience Awards

Airports Council International (ACI) World announced the winners of its 2025 ASQ Customer Experience Awards, reporting that passenger satisfaction is rising globally even as traffic volumes continue to grow.

According to ACI World, global passenger traffic is expected to reach 9.8 billion travelers in 2025 and climb to 10.2 billion in 2026, increasing operational pressures on airports worldwide. Despite that growth, survey data show improvements in overall customer satisfaction across participating airports.

The Airport Service Quality (ASQ) program is ACI’s global benchmarking initiative that measures passenger satisfaction in real time. Travelers are randomly selected at departure and arrival gates, with surveys conducted throughout all operating hours, days and months to capture a comprehensive view of the airport experience.

Nearly 707,000 passengers were surveyed worldwide for the 2025 awards cycle. ACI reported that more than half of the world’s air travelers passed through an ASQ-rated airport.

Among the key findings:

• Passenger satisfaction increased globally despite continued traffic growth.

• Border and passport control recorded the largest gains in satisfaction scores.

• Airport ambience and cleanliness were identified as the strongest drivers of overall satisfaction.

• More than 35 percent of award categories featured new winners this year.

A total of 100 airports were recognized in 2025, with 195 awards presented across multiple categories and regions.

Award categories included:

• 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

Eight airports were also named to the Director General’s Roll of Excellence, which recognizes consistent, high-level performance in delivering passenger experience.

ACI World officials said the results reflect sustained investments in service quality, frontline staffing and operational efficiency, particularly in areas such as border processing and terminal environment enhancements.

The 2025 ASQ Customer Experience Awards Ceremony will take place during the ACI World Airport Experience Summit in Istanbul, Türkiye, from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4, 2026. The annual summit focuses on customer and employee experience and is expected to draw more than 800 airport executives and industry professionals.

As passenger volumes approach pre-pandemic growth trajectories and exceed prior records in many regions, ACI’s ASQ results suggest that airports are continuing to prioritize service delivery and customer-centric operations alongside capacity expansion.