THE WORLD AIRPORT AWARDS AS A QUALITY DISTINCTIVE AND MARKETING TOOL FOR AIRPORTS

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the World Airport Awards as a quality distinctive and marketing tool by airports. It is a benchmarking study, and it uses secondary data from Skytrax, World Airport Awards, Airports Council International, International Air Transport Association, airport official websites and apps, App Store, and Google Play, to support research results. The method includes airport website benchmarking, communication, and marketing strategies by airports with the aim of analyzing the degree of utilization of the prize awarded by Skytrax. The study’s findings indicate that when an airport wins the Skytrax’s prize or it is positioned very good in the Skytrax’s ranking, this airport cites the achievement on its official app and website, with the aim of advertising and promoting the quality services and brand image worldwide. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that there is a high correlation between airport ranking and digital channels usage like airport’s website.