Enhancing the Airport Experience with Data Sharing
I was thinking about the industry’s recent history at the 2nd World Passenger Experience Forum, which took place in Dubai earlier this month. As the title indicates, the event was focused almost exclusively on what different actors—airport operators, airlines, regulators, service providers, etc.—can do to enhance the passenger experience.
Initiatives already underway and those still in the discussion phase are amazing and reflect an industry-wide push to make all facets of air travel smarter, more inclusive, cost-efficient, and better for employees and passengers. A list of all the advances supporting the airports of the future would be enormous (and likely endless as new developments are happening every day). Instead of attempting to make an exhaustive list, I did want to mention a few initiatives that have immense promise and are already gaining traction at airports globally.
Streamlining relationships
The aviation industry is a complex global ecosystem with competing and converging interests. Governed first and foremost by a commitment to safety, the industry is also constantly adjusting to pressures from passengers, regulators, governments and employees.
Already accustomed to high transparency, the industry is exploring how facilitating information sharing among different actors can improve operations, lower costs, and enhance the passenger experience. At the World Passenger Experience Forum, I participated in a panel discussion about what tools and best practices are needed to streamline communication and data sharing among interested parties, including airlines, immigration and security, and passengers.
Strengthening relationships and expanding the scope of data sharing is already happening in multiple airports. One example is with Service Level Agreement (SLA) management, where airport operators may share collected data with third-party service providers, regulators and other internal and external stakeholders.
There is still considerable work required to develop a collaborative regulatory framework that promotes open communication and cooperation between all stakeholders, but the interest is there—and strong.
Data quality in airports
Data quality is not a new topic, but it was mentioned often in Dubai. Airports are data-driven, mission-critical environments that require highly accurate data to ensure optimal operational performance.
Operators, regulators, and governments all understand that airport terminals and associated infrastructure are rich sources for objective data. This data can have a transformative effect on terminal efficiency, but only insofar as the accuracy and quality of that data is consistently high.
As more airports work to unlock the value of shared data ecosystems, standards around data quality will increase.
Airports in Smart Cities
Data sharing, within and outside the terminal with improved data sharing, is key to meeting passenger expectations about air travel and mobility in general.
Data sharing between airport operators, airlines and public transit systems has the potential to maximize citywide efficiency by giving decision-makers and passengers the information they need to improve planning and real-time decisions door to door. Data sharing within airports is just one piece in a much bigger urban mobility puzzle, but it’s a crucial step in developing broader and more robust data pools.
Xovis data around the world
My colleagues and I attended the World Passenger Experience Forum to hear about changing demands among airport operators and passengers. Already working with airports for over a decade and delivering solutions to more than 110 terminals, Xovis has a deep understanding of industry challenges.
Airports use our accurate real-time and historical data to improve staff planning and resource allocation at multiple touchpoints. As users get more comfortable working with KPIs generated by our Passenger Flow Management System (PFMS), we see an interest in new use cases involving many different actors.
Communicating predictive wait times to passengers, optimizing inter-terminal transport, streamlining SLA reporting and helping operators increase non-aeronautical revenue are just a few of the ways airports use the Xovis’ PFMS in new and exciting ways. That’s just the beginning. As the data sharing trend gains more acceptance, the possibilities for improving airport operations are many.
Tags: | airports| peak season | terminal operators | holiday | travel |
