Improving service quality for Passengers with Reduced
Mobility assistance at Rotterdam the Hague Airport
Ismahane Ballah
,Information page
Graduation thesis Passenger with Reduced Mobility’s
Written by: Ismahane Ballah – 500808161
E-mail:
Aviation Operations
Faculty of Technology, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Graduation company: Rotterdam the Hague Airport
Consultants: Nargis Zamaray – Lecturer Aviation
First assessor
Houdijn Hardenbol – Manager Security & Safety Operations
Company Supervisor
Patrick Dell – Security Advisor
Company Supervisor
Submission date: 6 July 2022
Thesis graduation 1
,Preface
You are looking at the thesis "Improving service quality for Passengers with Reduced Mobility
assistance at Rotterdam the Hague Airport". This thesis has been written as part of my bachelor study
Aviation at the University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam.
The research on the quality of the PRM-assistance is conducted in the period February 2022 until July
2022 at Rotterdam the Hague Airport at the Security department. To successfully complete this
graduation period and this assignment, the following competencies will be used: process
improvement, data analysis and strategy & environment analysis.
It promises to be an interesting assignment, since my findings can contribute to an increase in
customer satisfaction at RTHA.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my supervisors for the support and their guidance during
this process. I would also like to thank the employees in the operation who helped make this thesis
possible.
I wish you a lot of reading pleasure.
Ismahane Ballah
Amsterdam, July 6, 2022
Thesis graduation 2
, Summary
This graduation research investigated the improvement possibilities for the Passengers with Reduced
Mobility (PRM) process at Rotterdam the Hague Airport (RTHA). Since EG Regulation 1107/2006 and
European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) doc. 30, every airport in the European Union (EU) is
required to provide PRM services to make air traffic accessible to everyone. RTHA's analyses have
concluded that the PRM process does not meet customer requirements. The outsourcing of the PRM
process to Aviapartner has resulted in RTHA having insufficient insight into the performance of the
process, as a result of which improvement initiatives could not be introduced.
The purpose of this research is to improve the quality of the PRM services at RTHA to increase
customer satisfaction. The following research question was prepared for this purpose:
"How can Rotterdam the Hague Airport improve the quality of the Passenger with Reduced Mobility
process in the operations, taking the legislation into account?"
To answer the research question, it was investigated which elements are perceived as an obstacle by
the PRM passenger by using a Critical To Quality (CTQ) Flowdown. First, the research identified that
online PRM service notification is done by 55% of the PRM passenger. It does not appear to be
accessible to transmit PRM services online due to the structure of the booking system. Secondly, it
was observed that the waiting time for the PRM passenger is between 15 and 35 minutes which is
perceived as an obstacle and provokes frustration and uncertainty among the passengers. The third
main cause is the design of the current PRM process which creates inefficiencies and ensures that the
passenger does not receive the service that is desired. The push wheelchairs also prevent the
passenger from going through the airport process independently. The fourth root cause is that the
landside of the airport is not level due to the raised sidewalks and plastic bumps at the entrance
revolving doors. The last main cause is that RTHA does not have KPIs related to PRM services, which
means that quality standards are missing. As a result, the quality of the PRM process cannot be
measured and improved. An additional consequence is that expectations are also not communicated
to passengers.
Based on these root causes, it is recommended to apply five quick wins on the current PRM process.
First, it is recommended that quality standards are established and evaluated monthly to continuously
improve the process. To stimulate passengers to communicate their PRM services prior to arrival at
the airport, it is recommended to integrate a decision tree in the booking system where the passenger
must specify if they need assistance before the booking can be finalized. The passenger's assistance
request may not be refused, even with flights that depart within 48 hours. In addition, it is
recommended to add a notification option for PRM services through the RTHA app. Finally, it is
recommended to add three PRM seats at the check-in area to provide convenience and outsource the
entire PRM process to Aviapartner to create uniformity.
In addition to the quick wins, two project-based solutions are recommended. The first solution is to
offer a click and collect service in the dwell area to provide the disabled passengers with the same
facilities as the regular passenger. Finally, the second solution is to open a separate check-in desk for
PRM passengers to increase customer satisfaction and reduce waiting time for the disabled passenger.
Thesis graduation 3
Mobility assistance at Rotterdam the Hague Airport
Ismahane Ballah
,Information page
Graduation thesis Passenger with Reduced Mobility’s
Written by: Ismahane Ballah – 500808161
E-mail:
Aviation Operations
Faculty of Technology, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Graduation company: Rotterdam the Hague Airport
Consultants: Nargis Zamaray – Lecturer Aviation
First assessor
Houdijn Hardenbol – Manager Security & Safety Operations
Company Supervisor
Patrick Dell – Security Advisor
Company Supervisor
Submission date: 6 July 2022
Thesis graduation 1
,Preface
You are looking at the thesis "Improving service quality for Passengers with Reduced Mobility
assistance at Rotterdam the Hague Airport". This thesis has been written as part of my bachelor study
Aviation at the University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam.
The research on the quality of the PRM-assistance is conducted in the period February 2022 until July
2022 at Rotterdam the Hague Airport at the Security department. To successfully complete this
graduation period and this assignment, the following competencies will be used: process
improvement, data analysis and strategy & environment analysis.
It promises to be an interesting assignment, since my findings can contribute to an increase in
customer satisfaction at RTHA.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my supervisors for the support and their guidance during
this process. I would also like to thank the employees in the operation who helped make this thesis
possible.
I wish you a lot of reading pleasure.
Ismahane Ballah
Amsterdam, July 6, 2022
Thesis graduation 2
, Summary
This graduation research investigated the improvement possibilities for the Passengers with Reduced
Mobility (PRM) process at Rotterdam the Hague Airport (RTHA). Since EG Regulation 1107/2006 and
European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) doc. 30, every airport in the European Union (EU) is
required to provide PRM services to make air traffic accessible to everyone. RTHA's analyses have
concluded that the PRM process does not meet customer requirements. The outsourcing of the PRM
process to Aviapartner has resulted in RTHA having insufficient insight into the performance of the
process, as a result of which improvement initiatives could not be introduced.
The purpose of this research is to improve the quality of the PRM services at RTHA to increase
customer satisfaction. The following research question was prepared for this purpose:
"How can Rotterdam the Hague Airport improve the quality of the Passenger with Reduced Mobility
process in the operations, taking the legislation into account?"
To answer the research question, it was investigated which elements are perceived as an obstacle by
the PRM passenger by using a Critical To Quality (CTQ) Flowdown. First, the research identified that
online PRM service notification is done by 55% of the PRM passenger. It does not appear to be
accessible to transmit PRM services online due to the structure of the booking system. Secondly, it
was observed that the waiting time for the PRM passenger is between 15 and 35 minutes which is
perceived as an obstacle and provokes frustration and uncertainty among the passengers. The third
main cause is the design of the current PRM process which creates inefficiencies and ensures that the
passenger does not receive the service that is desired. The push wheelchairs also prevent the
passenger from going through the airport process independently. The fourth root cause is that the
landside of the airport is not level due to the raised sidewalks and plastic bumps at the entrance
revolving doors. The last main cause is that RTHA does not have KPIs related to PRM services, which
means that quality standards are missing. As a result, the quality of the PRM process cannot be
measured and improved. An additional consequence is that expectations are also not communicated
to passengers.
Based on these root causes, it is recommended to apply five quick wins on the current PRM process.
First, it is recommended that quality standards are established and evaluated monthly to continuously
improve the process. To stimulate passengers to communicate their PRM services prior to arrival at
the airport, it is recommended to integrate a decision tree in the booking system where the passenger
must specify if they need assistance before the booking can be finalized. The passenger's assistance
request may not be refused, even with flights that depart within 48 hours. In addition, it is
recommended to add a notification option for PRM services through the RTHA app. Finally, it is
recommended to add three PRM seats at the check-in area to provide convenience and outsource the
entire PRM process to Aviapartner to create uniformity.
In addition to the quick wins, two project-based solutions are recommended. The first solution is to
offer a click and collect service in the dwell area to provide the disabled passengers with the same
facilities as the regular passenger. Finally, the second solution is to open a separate check-in desk for
PRM passengers to increase customer satisfaction and reduce waiting time for the disabled passenger.
Thesis graduation 3
