Preparing the airport for the digital age

The post-digital era: those who would have grown up interacting with technology to manage their lives. These are the Millenials, the gen y’s, the kids you see playing with iPads at the grocery store. This demographic will make up over 68% of airline travelers by 2025 and it shows with 59% of travelers willing to use their mobile phone as identification verification. With 4% higher satisfaction rate amongst self-gate check-in users compared to traditional routes.

What the future holds-

While mobile apps and identification checks are becoming the norm with the incoming generation of airline users, there are some additional integrations to be aware of.
Biometric identification being the primary technology to be aware of. By 2021 over 70% of airlines look to have some form of global biometric identification in place. This isn’t a sort of Total Recall future tracking device but more of an all in one identification system. Using a combination of Artificial intelligence meant to recognize and understand changes in appearance. Accompanied by one source of information devices like a cell phone or mobile device providing further identification and travel/ticket information. This creates a one-stop-shop for security checks and will create an almost walkthrough experience for registered travelers.

Becoming part of it today-

While this all seems very Star Wars it’s actually beginning today. With airports switching many applications and service desks to self-help kiosks and security tokens. Travelers are able to look up information, directions, and even promotions at the many services present at airports on large informational kiosks. Alongside self-service interactions, many customers are taking advantage of the various airport and air travel applications on their mobile devices. Looking for deals, flight times, delays, and even estimated arrival times are expected in this digital ecosystem. The old security lines and baggage claims may still be around to an extent, but the before and during times of airports are quickly becoming digitalized and customer-centric. Examples include providing security checkpoint wait times, restaurant availability and integration what flight schedules.

Now it’s just up to the other players in the airline game. State agencies, border programs, even federal governments. All these levels plus airlines and the transportation industry’s tech partners that provide solutions need to collaborate for the oncoming digital age into a single platform. With success and satisfaction rates skyrocketing it’s time to look towards a better traveler experience that provides the necessary information in the communication channel the traveler prefers.