Study offers glimpse of airport evolution
A new study has shed light on how airports may evolve over the coming decades.
The ‘Reinventing the Airport Ecosystem’ report by Amadeus conducted research among travellers to gauge an idea of where the industry is heading. The results identified a range of new airport models that could be introduced in the next 20 years.
These new models include the ‘Mini-city’, which Amadeus described as a “self-sufficient entity offering unique retail, entertainment, dining, work spaces and accommodation”. Such airports may even grow their own food and generate their own energy, the report added. Linked to this, the ‘Shopping mall’ concept would offer airport shopping, leisure and entertainment facilities “on par and even beyond those found in destinations and available to non-flying customers”. Fifteen percent of travellers surveyed thought this model would be predominant by 2025, according to Amadeus.
The ‘City extension’ concept was based on a close integration into the local city, with the airport reflecting “the best of local culture, history and cuisine”. The ‘Walkway concept’ meanwhile, would tap into technology to enable passengers to perform most airport functions remotely.
Finally the ‘Bus station’ concept would represent the low-cost market, and would feature “a no-frills atmosphere where speed and efficiency are key”.
“A range of macro-trends including increasing traveller demands, new technologies and the immediate requirement for the industry to create new revenue streams are driving the need for a fundamental rethink of the airport ecosystem,” said Julia Sattel, Amadeus’ Senior Vice President of Airline IT.
“Imagine an airport where the retail experience is so impressive you choose to shop there without even flying; or using an in-flight app to make purchases you can pick up once you’ve landed. It’s an exciting future but airports, airlines and the whole ecosystem need to make co-operative decisions to unlock this potential,” she added.
Rohit Talwar, CEO of Fast Future Research, and the report’s co-author commented; “Based on the research in this report we can expect the airport ecosystem to change dramatically over the next 20 years as players accelerate their pursuit of new sources of revenue – such as retail, dining, leisure and real estate.”
“What’s also clear is that whichever model an airport adopts; new technology means we’re heading towards an intelligent, data-intensive, knowledge-rich, adaptive and responsive airport environment that will greatly benefit travellers,” he added.
The research identified “a stress-free airport experience” as the number one priority for travellers, with 72% of respondents saying they thought the journey from check-in to boarding was currently inefficient. Sixty-nine percent of travellers want to see improved security processes. Passengers also expect airports to give a sense of place which reflects local culture and makes the airport destination and flight, part of their total trip experience (81%).
The report also found that technology is becoming increasingly important to travellers’ airport experience. Many want to control their entire airport journey through the use of mobile phones to navigate through key touch points (63%), use frequent flyer cards as permanent boarding passes (59%), have from permanent electronic bag tags (57%), and automate the full range of airport processes including baggage drop (48%).
Social media is also seen as a vital tool for the real-time exchange of ideas, information and feedback with travellers while at the airport. Consumers want their improvement ideas to be heard (69%), to receive important information (66%), to provide real-time feedback (53%) and to be rewarded as frequent travellers/shoppers (51%).
The report surveyed 838 people from Europe, North America and Asia.