The passenger journey is one of the most complex ‘experiences’ to map out. There are multiple steps within the journey where the  passenger can be left with either a negative or positive experience. As an airport itself is a multi-layered business that generates a wide ecosystem of suppliers, getting this all to work smoothly while offering a premium level of service is a real challenge. Through our work with airlines and airports in providing digital maps to underpin a positive indoor experience, I wanted to highlight three points that we have come across that help to drive an enhanced passenger experience.

  • Collaboration between airlines and airports:
    • From a passenger’s perspective these are interlinked. For example, the queues at airport security are very long and the wait appears interminable and suddenly you are in a panic that you may miss your flight. Whether we like it or not we take this stress from that experience directly on board the plane and suddenly the airline steward offering you apple juice instead of the orange you asked for becomes a big deal! Now this isn’t the airline’s job to ensure immigration queues run smoothly but being able to provide their passengers with clear information on expected wait times is something that can help a passenger acclimatize to the possibly of a delayed security run. Whenever there is an issue, it is information and support that people seek and it is up to airlines and airport to ensure clear messages are relayed to the passengers.
  • Make tech an enabler not a gimmick:
    • There is a great website out there – Future Travel Experience, that keeps up to date with the latest trends in the industry and what we have seen is more and more airports and airlines, realising that the passenger journey starts way before they actual arrive at the airport. Whether it’s Auckland airport offering traffic information to their website users or Emirates with their 3D seat picker visualisation, passengers really do benefit from the tech enhancements. With tech solutions, it helps to have a clear roadmap of how you as an airport / airline will invest in that solution, as it’s often the case that it is new and will require adjustment not only for the passenger experience but also internally – these things never tend to go as planned.
  • Empowering and personalising the passenger experience:
    • Many passengers want to be in control or at least have the feeling of control during their journey. Once you are on that plane, you are effectively giving up this control to your pilot to hopefully get you from A to B safely. By personalising the passenger experience, you are empowering the passenger that will in turn enhance their experience. A clear example of personalisation is in IFE where certain carriers are enabling passengers to select their movie profiles and even pick up where they left off on a previous flight. In the pre-travel category, we came across LuckyTrip that helps make it easier for travellers to find their ideal trip – essentially a travel inspiration solution to provide unique experiences.

We like to think we are also helping to redefine passenger experiences by enabling them to find, locate and get to wherever they need to in the airport at the touch of the button. By building in external data services and layering location based information, personalisation is improving every day.

Contact us at indoor@point-consulting.com to learn more about our indoor mapping and wayfinding solution.