Aruba Airport handled over 25 thousand passengers during the first weekend of the year “Super Weekend”

ORANJESTAD – Aruba Airport Authority N.V. (AAA) opened the New Year with all hands on deck to handle over 25.000 passengers who traveled over the 2-day period, being Saturday January 5th and Sunday January 6th 2019. According to the official passenger figures from IASA, 14,400 passengers traveled through the airport on Saturday, and 10,631 on Sunday.

Aruba Airport together with all operational stakeholders were well staffed and prepared for the hectic weekend. Many operational changes were set in place to help alleviate the peak time congestion, which helped to expedite the passenger flow. Passengers who arrived to the airport by the usual advised time of 3 hours prior to departure, were at their gate well ahead of boarding time and could even shop and dine before boarding their flight.

During the entire peak periods, passengers were timed at all of the airport’s checkpoints, from check-in to the gate. The maximum times during the heaviest peak periods were just over 2 hours for U.S. bound passengers, and these wait times lasted for several hours. Despite some very long lines, all of the airport stakeholders were fully engaged in the operation, and the lines moved quickly. The airport was made aware of an unfortunate post in Trip Advisor, where a passenger claimed to take 4 ½ hours to get to their flight. At no time during this past weekend, did conditions at the airport result in such a situation for any passengers. AAA takes this type of feedback very seriously and immediately conducted further investigation on the matter, as this did not match any of the observations that were being carried out over the weekend.  This investigation revealed that several of the passengers that missed the subject flight, were registered at local outbound immigration (first point of entering the terminal) as late as 30 minutes before their departure time, much too late to have any chance of making a flight to the U.S. 

“The airport passenger volumes during this past weekend were quite challenging, and the abundance of great teamwork and coordination between all parties involved made a big difference. Weekend passenger levels like we experienced this past weekend are likely to be a new normal for some time ahead, and we are all committed to keeping up the focus, and continuing to move forward with the necessary investments in the airport that will give us some better tools to handle the increased passenger volumes in the future.” said AAA CEO Mr. James Fazio who was very satisfied with the passenger processing during the busiest days of the year. With regards to the Trip Advisor review, Mr. Fazio commented the following: “The passenger experience is for us of utmost importance and it’s disappointing for us to hear that a passenger missed his/her flight at Aruba Airport. From the airport’s perspective, we had all the key players in place to ensure the most efficient passenger handling possible in this extraordinary situation.  Whether it is Super Weekend or not, the travel advice remains the same: Be at the airport 3 hours prior your flight’s departure time to avoid any inconvenience. 

Papiamento

Aeropuerto di Aruba a procesa mas cu 25 mil pasahero durante e prome siman di aña “Super Weekend”

ORANJESTAD – Aruba Airport Authority N.V. (AAA) a habri aña cu manganan hisa ariba pa procesa mas cu 25.000 pasahero cu a biaha durante e periodo di 2 dia, cu ta diasabra 5 y diadomingo 6 di Januari 2019. Segun cifranan oficial ricibi for di IASA pa loke ta e cantidad di pasahero, 14.400 pasahero a biaha riba diasabra y 10.631 riba diadomingo.

Aeropuerto di Aruba hunto cu tur stakeholder operacional tabata bon prepara cu suficiente personal pa e fin di siman druk. Varios cambio operacional a wordo haci pa yuda alivia e congestionnan cu a yuda haci e fluho di pasahero bai mas liher. Pasaheronan cu a yega aeropuerto segun e conseho usual pa ta na aeropuerto 3 ora prome cu e salida di nan buelo a yega gate basta prome cu momento di aborda avion y por a asta shop y come prome cu nan buelo.  

Durante full e periodo peak, e pasaheronan tabata wordo “timed” na cada checkpoint di aeropuerto, for di momento di check-in te ora cu nan a yega gate. E cantidad di rato maximo pa un pasahero durante e momentonan di mas druk tabata net un tiki mas cu 2ora pa pasaheronan cu a biaha pa Merca, y esaki a dura un paar di ora. Aunke cu tabatin liñanan hopi largo, tur stakeholder tabata presente y envolvi den e operacion, pa asina e liñanan keda move.

Aeropuerto a tuma nota di un post lamentabel riba Trip Advisor, unda un pasahero ta bisa cu a tard’e 4 ora y mei pa yega su buelo. Na ningun momento durante e fin di siman druk, tabatin condicionnan asina pa niun pasahero. AAA ta tuma tur feedback hopi na serio y inmediatamente a cuminsa cu investigacion pa haña sa kico a pasa, mirando cu e no a cuadra cu ningun observacion haci durante e fin di siman. E investigacion a mustra cu varios pasahero a perde e buelo cu ta wordo menciona pa motibo cu 30 minuut prome cu nan buelo nan a yega e prome punto di control prome cu drenta paden na imigracion, pues demasiado laat pa por subi nan buelo pa Merca.

“E volumen di pasahero durante e fin di siman tabatin su retonan cu ne y e abundancia di  bon trabou den ekipo y coordinacion entre tur partner a haci un diferencia grandi. E cantidad di pasahero manera cu nos a experencia durante e fin di siman por bira loke nos por spera pa un tempo nos dilanti y nos tur ta comprometi pa keda enfoca y sigui haci e inversionnan necesario den aeropuerto cu lo duna nos mihor ekipo pa maneha cantidad mas grandi di pasahero den future,” asina CEO di AAA Sr. James Fazio cu ta hopi satisfecho cu e procesamento di pasahero durante e dianan di mas druk di aña a bisa. Pa loke ta trata e review riba trip advisor, Sr. Fazio a bisa lo siguiente: “E experiencia di e pasahero pa nos ta di suma importancia y ta duel nos pa scucha cu un pasahero a perde su buelo na Aeropuerto di Aruba. For di e perspectiva di aeropuerto, nos a percura pa tin tur personanan clave na aeropuerto pa por garantisa un procesamento di pasahero mas eficiente posibel den e situacion extraordinario aki.”

Si ta Super Weekend of no, e conseho di biahamento ta keda mescos: Tur pasahero mester ta na aeropuerto 3 ora prome cu e ora di salida di buelo pa evita cualkier inconveniencia.