Most complaints against ANA pertain to long queues
Passenger dissatisfaction with ANA Aeroportos, the national airport management company, has surged by 28% in the first five months of 2024 compared to the same period last year. The increase in complaints primarily cite long wait times, poor organisation, lack of information, and inadequate customer service.
These issues have been highlighted on Portugal’s Portal da Queixa, an official complaint platform where passengers have been typing their concerns.
Most of the complaints (42.4%) refer to long queues – an issue that has become particularly serious at Lisbon and Faro airports and which the government has already vowed to tackle – exacerbated by poor organisation and insufficient staffing.
Customer service-related issues, including inadequate information and staff misconduct, account for 36.4% of the grievances.
This rise in passenger complaints was reported last week at the same time when the privatisation of ANA Aeroportos was being scrutinised in Parliament. The debate centred around the sale of 100% of the company’s capital to French group Vinci, a deal completed in 2013 under the PSD/CDS-PP government led by Pedro Passos Coelho. However, employees and unions have expressed concerns over the “precarious” conditions brought about by the privatisation, which they argue have negatively impacted airport operations.
With complaints coming from employees as well as passengers, ANA has seemingly done little to appease the latter. The company has an “Unsatisfactory” Satisfaction Index (IS) score of 7.8 out of 100 on Portal da Queixa, responding to just 2.9% of complaints and resolving just 3.2%.
Pedro Lourenço, founder of the Portal da Queixa, believes ANA must address these issues urgently.
“This 28% increase in complaints is a clear signal of growing passenger dissatisfaction with ANA’s services,” he stated. “With primary complaints concerning excessive queues, poor customer service, parking issues, and baggage problems, it is unacceptable for passengers to continue facing these challenges in essential air transport services. ANA must take urgent measures to address these issues and improve service quality, which also affects Portugal’s image among foreign tourists.”
Lourenço pledged that Portal da Queixa will continue to monitor the situation closely and advocate for passengers affected by ANA’s issues.
