AIRPORTS globally will focus on improving passenger processes over the next three years, with 80 per cent planning new self-service and mobile projects, according to the 2014SITA/ACI Airport IT Trends Survey released this week.
Sixty-three per cent of CIOs expect to spend more on technology in 2014 compared to last year, and total spend is estimated to reach US$6.8 billion.
Multi-service kiosks, self-bag drop and self-boarding services are already gradually taking root in airports and by 2017, nearly three-quarters of airports expect the majority of their passengers to use self-service check-in.
Other trends to manifest in the coming years include more airports offering flight status notifications (from 50 per cent now to 90 per cent by 2017) and services through the mobile app including customer relationship management (78 per cent by 2017), way-finding (72 per cent), security wait time notifications (73 per cent) and retail services (65 per cent).
Airports will also increasingly offer customer support via social media. Already 30 per cent do so, but this is set to jump to 70 per cent over the next three years.
Some 60 per cent of airports plan to have geo-location programmes, which allows airports to provide services in relation to where the passenger or staff is at a particular time, over the next three years.
New innovations are also making their appearance, with 49 per cent investing in near field communications, 33 per cent planning iBeacon programmes and 16 per cent investigating wearable technologies.
Francesco Violante, CEO, SITA, said: “This is the age of the connected traveller with nearly all passengers carrying mobiles, tablets and other devices. It is vital that airports invest in the infrastructure to support the changing expectations of these passengers.”
The SITA Airport IT Trends Survey is based on responses from participants at airports across the world through which 2.4 billion passengers travelled last year.
