Page 38 - AAA JULY - AUGUST 2016 Online Magazine

COLUMN SARAH SAMUEL

Anytime, Anywhere

How smart airports are transforming customer experiences

A BUSINESSWOMAN STRIdES dOWN THE
departure hall in an expensive looking suit
with her leather portfolio briefcase, coffee
and the day’s papers in hand. An anxious-
looking teenager paces back-and-forth near
the check-in counter, holding on tightly to his
air ticket and feeling nervous as it’s his first
time flying. An elderly couple sits together
with their luggage, excited to get on a flight
to see their grandson in a few hours. No
matter the occasion and rationale behind our
travel, airports are the passageways to some
of life’s greatest moments.
When travelling, we all hope the age-
old saying ‘enjoy the journey as much as the
destination’, will be true. As a gateway to our
next adventure or a nerve-wrecking business to ensure that they have the right technology last conference day hassle (and bag) free,
presentation, an ideal situation at the airport in place. thanks to Amadeus’ ACUS technology.
would be a quick and hassle-free start to Research on passenger dissatisfaction As ACUS requires very little bandwidth
the trip. Instead, we are often greeted with has found three main areas which represent per workstation, this solution provides the
crowded check-in counters, last-minute gate the majority of passenger complaints: flexibility for airports that want to scale
changes and service delays at the airport – service disruptions, long check-in lines and their operations to deal with seasonal
frustrations which often stem from a lack baggage issues. In an effort to tackle these fluctuations or changing passenger demands.
of information and poor communication business challenges and improve customer It also alleviates passenger frustrations as
between the different stakeholders: the experience, airports around the world are they spend less time in check-in or baggage
airline, the airport and the passenger. starting to adopt a common use system drop queues, allowing them more time
With more than 455 million visitor which revolutionises the check-in process to browse the retail and entertainment
arrivals in 2015 and a prediction of close to and creates new opportunities for all available to them at the airport. Additionally,
650 million international visitor arrivals by stakeholders within the airport. For instance, the flexibility of the self-check-in option
2020 in Asia Pacific, airports and airlines the implementation of Amadeus’ cloud- allows airports to tailor their services to
now face the pressure to handle the high based Airport Common Use Service (ACUS) different segments of the traveller market
influx of travellers while providing a smooth solution at Perth airport enables passengers – from VIPs, business travellers and families –
and convenient process. As airports in Asia to check-in anytime, anywhere. improving the end-to-end passenger journey.
Pacific prepare themselves to reach for the With the ability for passenger check-in With ACUS, airports are one step ahead
stars and attain world-class standards, how to take place outside the airport terminal, to creating a smart airport of the future. This
can they ensure that their infrastructure is you can cut down the number of passengers solution can be introduced through various
ready to effectively and efficiently handle at the check-in area at any one time, creating touchpoints of a passenger’s airport journey,
both the volume of passengers, and the efficiencies for both airports, airlines and from pre-travel to take-off, providing
increasing demand for personalised service? ground handlers. Mobile workstations airports, airlines and ground handlers
can be deployed to provide additional, on- with a complete end-to-end solution
Creating a Smart Airport of the demand passenger processing capacity which improves efficiency in operations
Future to deal with special events such as large and simultaneously enhances customer
Given the rise in air passenger traffic in Asia sporting events, religious celebrations or satisfaction. As Asia Pacific readies itself for
Pacific, there continues to be investment business conferences, avoiding a bottleneck the influx of travellers into the region, let’s
in new airports and expansions in the fast- of passengers coming from the same work together to make airports a welcoming
growing region, with total planned investment event at the same time. Just recently, Perth passageway to greater memories.
in airport mega-projects estimated at Airport was able to offer off-site check-in
US$224.1 billion in total. As airports today and bag drop at the world’s largest oil & gas (Sarah Samuel is Head of Airport IT, Amadeus
become increasingly congested, it is crucial conference, allowing delegates to enjoy the Asia Pacific)
38 ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE JULY/ AUGUST 2016 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/AAA