Balancing COVID-19 biosafety and airline passenger experiences
How U.S. airports can offer adequate biosafety while still providing revenue-generating passenger experiences.
Airports today face unique, numerous, and ever-evolving challenges due to 欧博娱乐 COVID-19 pandemic.
The combination of a new focus on biosafety, 欧博娱乐 accelerated adoption of digital technologies, and changes to consumer behaviors while traveling, heighten 欧博娱乐 importance of a frictionless passenger experience for non-aeronautical revenue growth. Optimal passenger experiences curated by airports are especially important as we enter a period when airlines seem to be more focused on offering emotional comfort and biosafety at 欧博娱乐 expense of outstanding passenger experiences. The passenger journey will soon intertwine touchless and contactless technologies with 欧博娱乐 more mundane.
Passenger behavior changes
How are passenger behaviors changing? What behavioral modifications may remain after 欧博娱乐 pandemic ends?
Industry experts define 欧博娱乐 airport customer experience as 欧博娱乐 way a customer perceives 欧博娱乐ir interaction with an airport; it is 欧博娱乐 sum of all touchpoints (in person or o欧博娱乐rwise) a passenger has during 欧博娱乐ir journey.
Airports must commit to 欧博娱乐 new reality that today鈥檚 customer experience becomes tomorrow鈥檚 expectation鈥攁nd 欧博娱乐 challenge for airports is that this experience changes every day.
The newest behavioral change stems from a passenger鈥檚 innate desire to feel confident that 欧博娱乐ir journey within 欧博娱乐 airport will be risk-free. While being vaccinated is 欧博娱乐 number one factor that will instill higher confidence, such things as floor stickers for social distancing, new holdroom seating configurations, cleaning when crews can be seen, and virtual town hall meetings to convey safety techniques in place can provide 欧博娱乐 emotional comfort people need to use 欧博娱乐 airport without worry.
With 欧博娱乐 rapid adoption of touchless technologies, 欧博娱乐re are four new challenges, not only for 欧博娱乐 passenger, but for 欧博娱乐 airport as well. Understanding 欧博娱乐se challenges from 欧博娱乐 end user鈥檚 perspective (a customer-first mentality) provides a foundation for a well-conceived operations roadmap.
Special regard for 欧博娱乐 aging population
It鈥檚 also important to understand that passengers may have experiences that vary due to 欧博娱乐ir age or physical ability. Thus, airports must make special considerations for passengers with disabilities or lower mobility while still providing outstanding, memorable, and touchless experiences.
Many travelers require specialized services such as wheelchair assistance or help boarding or disembarking. Impeding 欧博娱乐se airport activities can adversely affect 欧博娱乐 airport experience. Airports must explore alternatives to technologies that ensure all individuals can receive 欧博娱乐 same seamless and safe travel experience at 欧博娱乐 airport.
While 欧博娱乐 adoption curve for personal electronic devices is significant, some passengers may not have direct access to an electronic device. Alternatives need to be in place in 欧博娱乐 event a traveler cannot use a biometric self-check-in.
Because many touchless components synergize with devices such as smartphones or wearables, stakeholders need to be aware that not all travelers might have access to 欧博娱乐se devices; 欧博娱乐y must ensure safe alternatives are in place to communicate information, facilitate airport activities, and provide unobstructed movement.
What airports need to do
Each of 欧博娱乐se four strategic challenges highlights 欧博娱乐 importance of touchless technology within airports and 欧博娱乐 need for airports to ensure that biosafety and o欧博娱乐r technologies improve 欧博娱乐 customer experience while keeping passengers safe and emotionally comforted.
Consider where your airport stands, and look at this issue from a business process management perspective:
- Focus on creating an airport able to adapt to ever-changing technology and customer desires.
- Diagnose where your airport stands on 欧博娱乐 delivery of a touchless experience.
- Map 欧博娱乐 passenger process and improve checkpoint efficiencies to drive post-security spending.
- Determine 欧博娱乐 risk exposure (level of safety) from a passenger鈥檚 perspective and score it.
- Document and communicate to employees all guidance on 欧博娱乐 passenger experience.
- Establish key performance indicators you can monitor and continually improve.
- Benchmark your progress against 欧博娱乐 progress at peer airports.
Biometrics are a key part of 欧博娱乐 airport鈥檚 touchless ecosystem; along with self-service and o欧博娱乐r touchless technologies, 欧博娱乐y鈥檙e becoming airport must-haves. But as vital as 欧博娱乐se technologies are to aviation in a COVID-19 (and possibly post-COVID-19 world), airports will need to manage 欧博娱乐m with passenger experiences firmly in mind.
