Intelligibility of the Public Address (PA) System in an International Airport in the Philippines: An Assessment

Nearly all airport passengers’ journeys rely on the public address (PA) system through which information is given to provide real-time announcements accessible to all. This information is important and time-sensitive, but easy to miss or misunderstand. In an effort to improve the effectiveness of passenger information dissemination in an International Airport in the Philippines, a study on the airport’s PA announcements was conducted. Specific areas of the airport where PA announcements are vital were identified. A survey of passenger perception of audibility and intelligibility of announcements was conducted. In addition, signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) for different locations was measured and compared to recommended levels. Out of the 405 survey respondents, 42% were able to hear and correctly recall important parts of the most recent announcement, 25% were able to hear that an announcement was aired, but were unable to correctly recall what was announced, and 33% responded that they were not aware that any announcements were aired within the past ten minutes prior to their receiving of the questionnaire. An average SNR of 8.58 dBA as opposed to the recommended minimum of 10 dBA was found. Recommendations include the utilization of Flight Information Display Systems (FIDS) screens along with audible announcement modifications.