Indy airport snares industry award 2.15.11

INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Montreal-based ACI also ranked Indianapolis third in the world among regional airports serving fewer than 15 million passengers a year. / Joe Vitti / The Star

Passengers and customers must really love the new Indianapolis International Airport.

On Tuesday, it was named best regional airport in North America for customer service in 2010 by the Airports Council International.

Among regional airports serving fewer than 15 million passengers a year, Indianapolis also ranked third in the world, behind only Nagoya International Airport in Japan and Hyderabad International Airport in India.

The Montreal-based ACI collected and tabulated more than 300,000 customer surveys to create the worldwide rankings based on airport size, number of passengers annually and improvement from previous years.

The full report is online at www.aci.aero.

This is not the first time Indianapolis International has drawn raves from travelers. The 2-year-old terminal was the favorite with visitors in a 2009 survey by JD Power and Associates, when visitors praised the openness, ease of navigation, service, shops and innovative design.

"I have long believed that Indianapolis International is one of the best airports in the world," said airport CEO John D. Clark III, "and this award confirms that in the eyes of the aviation and airline industry."

The rankings can encourage airlines to add more flights to successful airports -- and Indianapolis would like more international passenger flights. The rankings also can become an economic development recruitment tool for communities trying to lure new companies or encourage existing businesses to expand.

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