Ambience of the Physical Surroundings - Facility Layout
Décor, noise levels, music, temperature and lighting may affect the customers' judgement of the service, how long they stay and how much they spend.
The customers' perception of waiting times
The reason for the inclusion of the word 'perception' is illustrated by an example cited by Evans (1993). An airline operating at Houston airport experienced a high level of complaints from its passengers about the waiting time in the baggage-reclaim area. The airline's solution was to re-direct baggage to the carousel furthest from the arrival gates. Though passengers had to walk further, and the baggage took just as long to arrive, the customers' perceptions were that the waiting time had been reduced.