Feb 2022
Passengers focus on different images when it comes to traveling through an airport. Some of them picture themselves lifting off into wide-open blue skies and the endless possibilities that are waiting for them in their destination. For some, they see crowds, long lines with exceptional wait times, checkpoints, and creeping anxiety.
It's no secret that airport visits are stressful for some of the passengers especially after COVID-19 hit the air travel and airport business unexpectedly. Airports have undergone a great change to meet the necessary precautions brought on by the pandemic. However, during the times of greatest change, we are all presented with opportunities to change for the better. Airports seized the chance to enhance passenger satisfaction through various developments in passenger flow management.
What People Like and Don't Like About Airports
Airports play an important role in the passenger journey. The best airports in the world have multiple things in common and the following steps could be vital to stand out in building passenger satisfaction.
Likes
- A clean airport that takes health safety seriously.
- An airport with a streamlined process that utilizes technology to help passengers through check-in and security measures.
- Clear signals for flight information and guidance about passenger processes
- An airport that is modernized and tech-friendly.
- Comfortable environment with easy pre-flight steps
- Touchless passenger services to increase self-control and decrease in-person connection
- Opportunities to spend time in high-quality food and beverage areas and comfortable lounges
Dislikes
- Airports that haven't updated their process to be more digital-friendly.
- Airports that have poor or no Wi-Fi.
- Airports that don't offer passengers more control over their experience.
- Long queues in front of security, check-in and passport control points
- Cancelled and delayed flights
- Poor public transportation to reach airports
- Lost baggage
3 Ways to Increase Passenger Satisfaction
1. Think Like A Passenger
The research by Collinson Group demonstrates that happy passengers increase airport revenues directly. In fact, the research indicates that satisfied passengers are willing to spend up to $200 at the airport.
Like all marketing professionals will accept, creating solutions for the customer pain points is the direct route to generating more revenue. Understanding customer lifecycle is an integral part of creating a passenger journey that is designed to increase satisfaction.
When focusing on passenger flow management, the first step is putting ourselves in the shoes of everyday travelers. Identifying passenger pain points and finding ways to mitigate them are crucial for a seamless experience design.
2. Utilize Technology
Could you ever think of a strategy that ignores the power of technology? Utilizing technology is the most active approach to enhance passenger satisfaction. Passengers demonstrated their willingness to use digital airport operation systems and measurable satisfaction increase is recorded thanks to these systems.
Airport technology offers a suite of integrated software applications designed to support and enhance airport operations for operational excellence and delivering a great passenger journey. Airports can answer operational and digital needs through technological solutions and systems. These technologies directly affect the passenger experience by decreasing long queues, controlling health regulations, enhancing baggage processes, and developing a flawless pre-flight and after-flight experience.
3. Pay Attention to Emotions
It has been two years since we first heard about COVID-19 and people are now more tired than ever to confront precautions and heath restrictions. Unfortunately, it looks like we will be living under certain limitations as new variants continue to evolve. It is important to balance the emotions of people to build an optimistic approach for our future and current experiences.
When restrictions were first lifted during the pandemic, pictures of friends and family smiling on a beach popped up regularly. Those pictures expressed a relief to be out in the world living a normal life again. Traveling truly is about the journey, not just the destination — the airport experience is a significant part of that journey.
A travel experience elicits strong emotions of people, airports can now focus on the experience itself rather than just managing an operation. It is airports and related stakeholders’ duty to remind the happy moments of air travel including wandering around the airport, spending time in shopping malls or duty frees, visiting lounges for a break. When positive emotions start to strengthen again, passengers will be much more willing to fly even they are still captured by various regulations.
Build A Better Airport Experience with TAV Technologies
TAV Technologies helps airports offer a seamless journey by providing total technology management with its best-in-class design and solutions
Our products and services are here to help airports build better experiences for their passengers. Contact us to find out how.