Measuring and forecasting labor demand

15/03/2023

Blog, Airport

3 min

The 2023 edition of Passenger Terminal EXPO (PTE) kicked off in grand fashion in Amsterdam yesterday, with leaders from across the industry talking about the role of tech in balancing resource constraints and passenger flow management, among other exciting topics.

Resource overload at airport terminals

After years of suppressed demand, air travel is staging a comeback that will likely gain momentum with the return of normalized air travel to and from China. A return to the pre-pandemic level of travel, expected to happen this year, has the potential to outpace the supply of resources needed to attend to adequately respond to passenger expectations, a persistent concern within the industry.

Fortunately, more airports globally are deploying tech solutions to improve efficiency at critical terminal touchpoints. Advances in these areas hold much promise for improving the terminal experience, and companies are keen to measure the effectiveness of these solutions.

Tools for supporting passenger-centric travel

Though long an industry focus, Level of Service (LoS) targets remains a major topic, and one discussed at multiple expert panels on the first day of the event. The industry is working with precise guidelines that attendees, including speakers and those chatting on the sidelines, agree require sophisticated tools to measure performance.

Onsite Xovis professionals held many discussions at the event's start on layering sensor-based solutions operators can use to deliver accurate measurements of other processes while delivering a holistic, real-time view of terminal processes.

"After some turbulent years, we see a lot of optimism in the industry and at this event in particular," Rico Barandun, Xovis' Managing Director Airports, said. "But companies are still dealing with labor and resource challenges that are bringing the effectiveness of technology into focus. The discussions we've had here at PTE really drive home the importance of what we do for airports."

Technology and non-aeronautic commerce

The increased focus on improving the commercial areas within the airport space is an evolving trend benefiting operators and passengers. Changing ownership models, passenger expectations and business development among operators are propelling the trend, and in-terminal concessionaires are quickly responding to new revenue generation opportunities.

In many cases, in-store opportunities—be it duty free shops or luxury boutiques —face similar challenges that brick-and-mortar retailers outside the airport space also deal with, namely a tight labor market, expectations for a frictionless experience, privacy concerns, data costs and measuring performance. A primary concern for in-terminal retailers: making sure passengers have the time to take advantage of an airport's many land and airside offerings.

Xovis professionals are onsite discussing these unique challenges and what benefits its Passenger Flow Management System (PFMS), built atop the company's award-winning, AI-powered sensors, can deliver to various stakeholders in the terminal space. The exchange of ideas at this vital event will continue today and tomorrow at Booth #1230 in the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center in the Netherlands.

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Lisa Maier

An experienced event management specialist with a background in marketing and communications, Lisa Maier brings organization and creativity to a broad range of physical and virtual events.

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