Indy gets 'Best Airport' award 11 years straight while concerns of 'silver tsunami' grow
For executive director Mario Rodriguez, the reason why Indianapolis International Airport keeps winning "Best Airport in North America" boils down to its workforce, which is aging, but delivers the kind of service that consistently wins awards.
On Tuesday, Indy's airport announced it had been named "Best Airport" for the 11th year in a row, a recognition it earned among other airports that accommodate 5-15 million passengers annually. The awards recognizes airports of different sizes and different regions of the world, according to a news release.
"Our people are so wonderful," Rodriguez said. "Our human capital is what helps us win."
But earning top recognition next year and beyond might hinge on the human capital who plan on retiring, an issue Rodriguez said officials will need to deal with soon.
"I call it the 'silver tsunami'," Rodriguez said, adding officials are taking steps to attract a younger workforce.
"We have programs bringing apprentices to the airport," he said, which include positions in accounting, engineering, architecture, and public safety. "We pay for their education. We've got an agreement with Ivy Tech and Indiana Wesleyan. For colleges outside those places, you pay upfront and we reimburse you."
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Other benefits Rodriguez hopes will bolster the workforce include paying for child care and education.
Indianapolis Airport Authority employees can receive benefits like child care reimbursement up to $10,000 per year and tuition assistance up to $5,250 annually, as well as free healthcare and 5% retirement plan matching, a news release stated.
"If we win, everybody wins. It's incredibly valuable to the community to have an award-winning airport," Rodriguez said.
The Best Airport in North America title is determined each year by Airports Council International-North America as part of its Airport Service Quality Awards, which recognizes the best airports for customer experience worldwide, according to a news release.
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The "Best Airport" award is based upon passenger surveys on the day of their travel, who rate their experience in more than 30 areas, such as the ease of finding their way through the airport, check-in, shopping and dining offerings and cleanliness of overall facilities, a news release stated.
“The Indy airport is more than just a place where aircraft take off and land. It’s very much like a city within a city,” Rodriguez said in the news release. “It takes a breadth of dedicated employees from across a broad spectrum of professional backgrounds — even beyond that of aviation — to deliver a world-class customer experience.”
Those interested in working at the the Indianapolis International Airport can learn more online at: www.ind.com/work-with-us.
John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. IndyStar reporter Kayla Dwyer contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis Airport wins 'Best Airport in North America'
