With the world in steady recovery from the worst effects of the pandemic and international borders opening up, now is the time for airports and airlines to focus on innovating, rather than merely surviving. With global aviation competition warming up once again, itâs the airports that can guarantee next-level passenger experiences that will be bets positioned to dominate the post-pandemic market.
5G â Going beyond Connectivity
According to âThe Future is Connectedâ report by SITA, 83% of passengers carry smartphones. For many territories, this level of smartphone coverage extends well above 90%. With so much of passengersâ pre-journey, in-journey and post-journey experiences occurring digitally, airports must guarantee full connectivity and convenient interaction via mobile devices.\
But the use of 5G in airports, as provided by leading contractors like Saudi Airport exhibitors ABTSS and Swissport, goes beyond making sure that passengers can make use of their smartphones. Through the use of beacon technology, airports can track the position of passengers and offer them hyper-specific information and offers depending on their location. Beyond keeping passengers appraised on restaurant recommendations and deals, retail suggestions, airport facility and experience updates, beacon technology allows airports to help passengers make optimal use of their time between arriving and flying out.
Exemplar: Hamad International Airport
Qatarâs Hamad International Airport has installed 700 beacons across the airport. Passengers scan their boarding pass and opt-in for location detection, giving them real-time information on flight schedules, baggage claim, boarding gates and more.
Robotics â Hastening the âFrictionless, Contactless, passenger journeyâ
Even before COVID, passengers were eager to engage with new avenues of contactless interactions around the booking, processing and management of their flight. Now, going contactless is not just a tech-fuelled convenience, itâs an active boost to health and safety as it minimises opportunities for viral contractions. Almost half of global airlines and 32% of airports are currently looking for partners to further develop their robotic involvement in the next three years.
Robotics already serve niche roles in passenger-facing actions in airports today. However, we can expect their presence to grow beyond the occasional cleaner bot or wayfinder kiosk. Next-level passenger experiences can be delivered by robotics-based solutions that allow for self-service and/or contactless check-in, baggage drop/handling, security processing, airport shopping and more.
Exemplar: Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
PHL is continuously expanding its robotic customer-facing team. Already, this roster includes cleaning and security bots, and the latest addition is Gita, a 26 inches tall robot capable of navigating the airport at even the busiest of times. Gita works with the existing PHL contactless food ordering system to take orders from passengers and deliver the food directly to them, wherever they are. This is already proving popular for passengers waiting in lounges and queues for their flights to depart.
AI â Putting it all together
In any industry, true upgrades to the customer experience can only come from understanding the customersâ needs, preferences and emotional responses to the existing offering. This is why AI is the secret ingredient in bringing the whole airport passenger experience up to a higher level. Leading airports are introducing AI-based solutions from vendors like Saudi Airport exhibitors Assaia and Egis to holistically map and analyse the subconscious drivers of the passenger experience.
Exemplar â Athens International Airport (AIA)
Greeceâs main airport is ahead of many of its European counterparts in the pioneering development of its Measuring Passengersâ Emotional Engagement initiative. This uses an AI-based solution from PathosAI, a Canadian tech company, to map customerâs emotional responses across all of the airportâs channels and interfaces. These include call centres, social media, comment management and customer care. The upshot is that the AI puts together a much deeper understanding of how passengers are responding to AIAâs passenger experience offering on an emotional level, providing invaluable insights on how the airport can continue to innovate and improve it.
