Focus Groups

Air Traveler Discussion Guide

Air Traveler Focus Groups – Moderator Discussion Agenda

Introduction

The general purpose is to determine what’s important to you in your airport experience. We will have a more specific purpose later.

Discussion ground rules

-- These group discussions are used to raise issues and ex­plore them.

-- Please note agreement with other people's opinions by speaking up or nodding your head, but…

-- Contrasting opinions are expected and honored

-- Moderator will sometimes ask for a show of hands to get a sense of the room, but we do not try to reach a consensus.

-- Speak-up - for the audio-taping, viewers taking notes, session will be video taped tonight

-- Please refrain from war stories, and try not to play the one-upsmanship game.

-- Need to move quickly tonight to cover all the material.

-- One conversation at a time, please.

Background

Going around the table, what is your name, your occupation, number of business and leisure trips in the past year

Pre-flight activities exercise

(The objectives are to understand the security checkpoint experience in the context of the entire pre-flight experience; to get a sense of what drives confidence, and what drives a sense being treated well or being treated not very well.)

We’re going to ask several of you to describe your most recent airport experience from the moment you walked into the airport to the moment you got on the airplane and settled into your seat. I want to know about the various steps you went through – the check-in process to get your boarding pass, bag check-in (and bag scanning if it was done in front of you), the security checkpoint, and boarding the airplane.

What were your thoughts and feelings about each of these steps? (Ask 3 people to briefly describe the pre-flight process and their feelings about each step.)

What could be done to make each step easier for you? Could the airport or airline or security staffs have done anything more to make you feel more welcome, more secure, more at ease about your trip? Let’s go through each of these steps quickly --

• the check-in process to get your boarding pass,

• bag check-in and bag scanning if necessary,

• the security checkpoint (DWELL ON THIS ONE) , and

• boarding the airplane

In recent years, many companies within the travel industry have tried to improve their customer service.

1. Very quickly, name a travel company that provides a high level of customer service, and one that provides a very low level of customer service. (After 3-4 people have responded, ask…)

2. What level of customer service do you expect from TSA screening personnel?

Now, let’s continue the focus of tonight’s discussion to the security screening experience. We want to understand how different aspects of the security process make for a positive or negative passenger experience, and/or your confidence or lack of confidence in security.

3. The checked baggage screening experience. About checked baggage screening when they screen your bag in front of you, what aspects of the experience influence overall satisfaction and confidence in the process, and in the people (if necessary, probe for wait times, courtesy of screening personnel, need to open baggage).

4. More on the passenger screening experience. More about the passenger screening experience

• How long does it normally take you to pass through the screening process – from the start of the security checkpoint line through the checkpoint exit?

• How long does it take you when the airport is busy (during peak travel hours)?

1. What aspects of the experience influence your overall satisfaction and confidence ( if necessary, probe for wait times, courtesy of screening personnel, handling of personal property).

(After other aspects of the pre-flight experience…)

To summarize this part of our discussion, do you consider the airport experience to be a hassle? (Probe for the following…)

• The screening process, to include waiting in line, takes too long

• The ticketing counter check-in process, to include waiting in line, takes too long

• The amount of time needed to get though the security process is unpredictable

• The amount of time needed to get though the ticketing check-in process is unpredictable

• The screening process is intrusive

• The screening procedures are inconsistent.

Have you had anything confiscated at the checkpoint? How did you feel about it?

Did you ever leave anything behind at the checkpoint? Did you recover it?

(Diversion of air travel due to security screening)

• Have you reduced the amount of flights you take due to the security screening experience alone?

• If so, in terms of distance (approximate miles) or driving time, what flights do you take less?

• Lastly, how do you compensate for this change in travel?

New programs, policies, procedures implemented by TSA

Survey Methodology. Would you be interested in participating in a passenger survey administered somehow at airports? Do you have any preference for methodology?

WRAP-UP

• Summary of major comments and ideas raised in the group

• (Thank the people for their comments and ideas.)

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