Passenger experience number one for new Sudbury airport CEO
It was a packed house inside the Holiday Inn on Thursday night as members of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce came out to hear from the new leader of the Greater Sudbury Airport.
Giovanna Verrilli was the keynote speaker at this year's annual general meeting and many were keen on learning what plans she has in store for the facility.
Giovanna Verrilli, the Sudbury airport's new CEO, was the keynote speaker at the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting. Octy. 27/22 (Ian Campbell/CTV Northern Ontario)
As a native Sudburian, she knows the city very well and has seen the airport grow into what it has become.
"While I have spent the last several years away from home, I always knew that I would come back and, fortunately, I have been able to return for meaningful work that supports the local and regional economy," Verrilli said.
CONSISTENCY OF SERVICE
Two of the questions she said she has gotten quite a lot of, since her return, have been will there be an improvement with cancelled or delayed flights? And the other, will Air Canada resume full service and will Porter continue to add more flights?
"I am happy to say that as we have been tracking on-time performance for the last few weeks, we are seeing a more consistent pattern. As we still have a long way to go, ensuring consistency in-flight service is a priority for our team along with rebuilding passenger confidence in service levels," Verrilli said.
"We have seen our airline partners add and remove flights over the last several months and we will likely continue to see that for the near term, as staffing issues continue to pose challenges. However, we have a commitment from our airline partners to have open and honest discussions so we can better inform our passengers."
She said the goal is bringing back flights and told members while the airport would like to see new routes come into the city, the reality is they need to ensure the baseline services are where they need to be.
The airport is looking at finding the right partner to restore restaurant services at the facility and will be doing some long-term strategic planning to see if expanding runways and the terminal building are feasible.
"The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the predictability of aviation – in March 2019 there was a 90 per cent reduction in traffic overnight," said Verrilli.
"Aviation is complex. Airports are part of a large global ecosystem and also ecosystems unto themselves. It takes several organizations, each with their own span of control to ensure airports run smoothly."
While all airports in Canada are non-profit, she said it doesn't mean they shouldn't strive to generate more revenue and that her plan is to run the airport like a business.
IMPROVING THE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE
Among the key imperatives she has for 2023, she said she hopes to work on passenger experience.
"Airports that are committed to passenger satisfaction make more money. This has been proven through transaction-based studies and post-purchase survey's demonstrating that if you are less stressed coming through security and you know where to go in the airport, you are likely to spend more money on food and beverage, retail and services," she said.
Her passion appears to extend past the airport.
Another key issue she said they are excited about is land development around the airport and working with various businesses.
Cost, she adds, is something that hasn't escaped her and her team.
Verrilli said she knows it can be expensive to fly as a family of four and they'll be working on figuring out how they can address the issue.
"Airports need to embrace change because while change is constant and slow, it is an absolute must," she said.
Verrilli said it's going to take all hands to help improve the situation, from passengers to partners and the chamber's president said they like what they are hearing.
"Her experience is going to be advantageous to Sudbury because she's focusing on the airport as a business, as she mentioned, which means stronger customer service, which means less delayed flights and so her goals align with the chamber and we're very excited to have her here today," said board chair Anthony Davis.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.