WHITEPAPER THE CUSTOMER-CENTRIC AIRPORT

WHITEPAPER 

THE CUSTOMER-CENTRIC AIRPORT 

REDEFINING THE AIRPORT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE


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EXECUTIVE FOREWARD 

Our mission at Sabre Airline Solutions is to provide airlines the freedom to better market, sell, serve and operate the 

way they want. Through our comprehensive solutions, we continue to deliver these capabilities to our customers today 

and lay a long-term foundation for tomorrow. This foundation paves the way for innovative and flexible services, as well 

as a growing family of integrated capabilities, which provide business value to airlines across the globe. In doing so, we 

provide our airline partners with tools to differentiate and grow their business, as well as to lead the industry. 

A key element is our focus on building solutions that optimize the end-to-end journey and improve the traveler’s 

experience: from planning and shopping for a trip through day of travel. It is the quality of the day-of-travel experience 

that can make the difference between a traveler enjoying his or her trip or suffering through a negative customer 

experience, as well as airlines maintaining profitability or losing millions of dollars due to frequent service delays. 

It is here that airlines and airports in particular play a critical role in shaping the customer experience and protecting 

airline and airport profitability. 

Just as airlines are reinventing themselves to address this challenge and to tackle the broader demands of global 

competition, airports, too, face a similar need for transformation. In the near term, airports will continue to leverage their 

existing business models and innovations in technology to better serve their constituents: airlines and travelers. Over 

the longer term, many airports will take further steps to redefine their business value propositions — in conjunction 

with airlines and other partners. One change that will remain constant across all business models is that of tighter data 

integration between airline and airport systems for better situational awareness during service disruptions. 

Not surprisingly, many of these business transformations can be enabled through strategic investments in existing 

and emerging technology-based solutions. This includes such areas as: 

•• 

Check-in automation 

•• 

Passenger Self-service 

•• 

Biometric authentication 

•• 

Augmented reality 

•• 

Service robots 

•• 

Geo-fencing 

•• 

Near-field communications 

•• 

RF tracking and predictive analytics 

•• 

Dynamic scheduling and real-time communications 

The spectrum of tools at the disposal of airlines and airports to enrich the customer experience is both broad 

and complex, and warrants a much closer look. 

I am excited to release this white paper, “The Customer-Centric Airport: Redefining The Airport Customer Experience,” 

a report designed to highlight the current challenges and opportunities that will enable airlines, and airports, to shape 

their customers’ end-to-end travel experience. 

Based on in-depth industry research, we have identified ways in which airlines can enhance the near- and long-term 

traveler experience. Existing and emerging technologies will both play key roles in realizing a customer-centric airport. 

I invite you to read the whitepaper and engage in conversation directly with our team, as well as on LinkedIn 

and Twitter. We very much look forward to your insights, discussion and partnership. 

Vinit Doshi 

Senior Vice President, Sabre Airline Solutions 

Redefining The Airport Customer Experience

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CONTENTS 

Abstract: Executive Summary 

Introduction: The Airport Of Today 6 

The Customer Experience Enigma 9 

The Intelligent Airport 11 

The Traveler Experience Reimagined 13 

Moving Toward A Customer Centric Airport 17 

Conclusion 20

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ABSTRACT: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Since the beginning of commercial aviation, the airport has 

mirrored the prevalent cultural conditions of the time. Pioneering 

airports prior to the 1940s were no more than extensions of 

aircraft hangers for aviators. The economic revival immediately 

following World War II brought air travel to the public, but it 

remained mostly within reach of the wealthy. Consequently, 

airports (and airlines) provided a grand and glamorous 

experience that to this day is still idealized. 

Until the late 1970s, airlines and airports were closely regulated 

in the United States, Europe and Asia. Following deregulation 

in the United States and denationalization of flag carriers in 

Europe, air travel was opened to the public. This heightened 

competition, lowered the cost of a ticket and signaled the 

beginning of practical, commoditized air travel. Airports 

followed suit, adapting to the mass-transit needs of a rapidly 

growing population hungry for travel to destinations that had 

been previously financially or geographically out of reach. 

More recently, the success of low-cost carriers (LCCs) and 

niche airlines servicing specific regional or customer segments 

— while further expanding access to air travel — is defining 

a significant new dimension in transportation. Intense global 

competition and the newfound desire of many airlines to build 

a long-term relationship with the customer are causing a huge 

strategic pivot. In this new paradigm, airlines are evolving from 

being a basic transportation company to becoming a retailer of 

services. In addition, airports are beginning to embrace a similar 

transformation, with both travelers and airlines in mind. This is 

visible today as airport operators reconfigure existing terminals 

to be more customer centric, and as new airport construction 

brings the customer experience and revenue diversification 

to the forefront. 

Over the long term, airports will evolve to meet the everchanging 

needs of their customers — travelers and airlines — 

and to adapt to local and national market conditions (i.e., political, 

regulatory, financial). In doing so, it is clear that a single operating 

vision for the airport 15 to 20 years from now is not likely to 

succeed. One size will not fit all. In all likelihood, various airport 

operating models will gain favor over others based on regional 

requirements, competitive pressures and customer needs. 

Thus, we will see thriving retail airports, and smart airports, 

as well as disappearing airports. 

In the coming decades, airports and airlines are likely to rise to 

the challenge by deploying customer-friendly tools and services 

at all points of the day-of-travel experience, as well as redesign 

airport architecture and infrastructure to make the airport 

experience less stressful and more engaging. These trends 

are evident today and are likely to continue. The transformations 

are enabled by a range of new and emerging technologies 

designed to redefine the entire customer experience from 

check-in and security processing to baggage management, 

service recovery and post-arrival processing. Technologies 

that exist today can be applied to completely re-imagine many 

of these current processes, and in many cases, completely 

eliminate them. Many of these customer-centric solutions can 

help airlines and airports bring back the traveler’s anticipation 

and enjoyment and protect profitability during regular operations, 

as well as service disruptions. 

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Introduction: The Airport Of Today 

As global personal incomes continue to rise, more people are 

traveling, and they are traveling more often, especially by air. 

While this sustained, long-term growth in air travel is good 

for airlines’ net earnings, it continues to put pressure on the 

broader transportation industry to deliver new solutions to 

improve efficiency, eliminate traveler stress and significantly 

revamp the customer experience. This is especially critical 

since the majority of airline and airport customers’ time is 

spent queuing, watching and waiting while in the airport 

(Fig. 1). The crux of these pressures is most notable when 

service disruptions occur; not only is the passenger severely 

inconvenienced, but the airline and airport reacts to the 

situation with only a partial view of the operational effect, 

directly affecting the airline’s cost line on the balance sheet 

and its ability to deliver on its brand promise. 

(Figure 1) 

The Airport Of Today 

Challenges For Airlines 

Reinventing the customer experience has significant 

implications for airlines and airports, especially as many of 

the challenges are particularly critical on the day of travel. 

During the day of travel, an airline’s operational focus is on 

passenger movement and on-time flight departures, as well 

as to increase throughput and streamline processes, such 

as baggage processing, customer check-in and boarding, 

all while maximizing revenue per passenger. Regardless 

of an airline’s efforts to deliver an exceptional customer 

experience, the greatest source of customer dissatisfaction 

is not the shopping experience or price paid for ancillary 

services, rather, it is the airport experience at departure and 

arrival. 1 A customer’s current airport experience involves 

lengthy queues, repetitive and redundant processes, and 

a lack of communication and personalization. This is often 

compounded by flight disruptions, which not only add to the 

negative customer experience, but, it costs airlines hundreds 

of millions of dollars annually. 2 

Split Of Passenger Dwell Time At At Airports 

Amount Of Time Lost At Airports (Hours In InBillions) 

600 

Impact of digitalization 

650 

5% 

21% 

26% 

Process time 

Queue, watch and wait 

Basic needs 

330 

225 

330 

Commercial dwell-time 

47% 

Check-In 

Security 

& Passport 

Orientation 

FIDS 

Gate 

Source: Dolby & Holder, Arthur D. Little projects 

1 

Oct 2014 US Department Of Transpiration (DOT) passenger complaints report 

2 

Tnooz — Selling dreams, delivering nightmares, show airline personalization helps 

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Challenges For Airports 

Growth in air travel continues to put tremendous pressure 

on congested and aging airport infrastructure, and airports 

worldwide are struggling to keep up with demands. 

In Europe alone, air-traffic congestion during the next 

20 years will result in a 12 percent reduction in demand, 

or 237 million less passenger journeys. 3 Updating of airport 

infrastructure around the world requires billions of dollars 

of investment from governments, tax payers and airlines. 

Examples of such investments include: 

•• 

The Qatar’s new Hamad International Airport 

(US$15.5B investment), 

•• 

The new Mexico City International Airport 

(US$11B investment), 

•• 

The expansion of the Los Angeles International Airport 

(US$5B investment). 

Perhaps not surprisingly, almost three-quarters of the 

world’s airports are not profitable. They face extremely high 

fixed costs, stringent regulation and increasingly intense 

competition. 4 As a result, many airports are revamping their 

financial models, reducing their aeronautical income (landing 

fees) and increasing revenues from non-aeronautical sources 

(retailing) (Fig. 2). 5 

Despite these huge figures, travelers continue to experience 

frequent aircraft delays, missed connections, misdirected 

baggage and uncomfortable crowding. Moreover, travel 

disruptions have become the norm. With this surge in 

global demand, the ability to solve, execute and recover 

from disruptions is compounded by the lack of integrated 

systems and processes, poor communication between 

airlines and airports, and customers armed with 

social-media megaphones. 

(Figure 2) 

Revenues Are Not Coming From Airlines Anymore 

Airports financial models are changing 

from aeronautical revenues to more 

than 40% of revenue coming from 

non-aeronautical sources 

Total Operating 

Revenues $16.87B 

Aeronautical 

Revenue 

$9.31B 

(55%) 

Non- 

Aeronautical 

Revenue 

$7.56B 

(45%) 

Total Non-aeronautical 

Revenues $7.56B 

Rental Cars 

$1.5B 

(20%) 

Parking 

& Ground 

Transportation 

$3.1B 

(41%) 

Hotel 

$105M (1%) 

Other 

$748M (10%)** 

Land & Non-terminal 

$550M (7%) 

Retail & Duty Free 

$630M (8%) 

Food & Beverage 

$533M (7%) 

Services 

$378M (5%)* 

3 

Airport Council International 

4 

Airport World Issue 3, 2013 

5 

Airport council international 

* Includes revenues for services such as telecommunications, Internet access, advertising, barbershops, 

shoeshine stands and spas. 

** All other non-aeronautical operating revenues earned from the non-aeronautical use of the airport 

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Opportunities 

These challenges present significant opportunities — for 

both airlines and airports — to remove travelers’ stress 

and improve the overall customer experience. There are 

numerous areas for improvement in the day-of-travel and 

airport journey today, tomorrow and in the future. 

In an effort to reduce the impacts of airports’ constrained 

facilities, airlines are challenged with developing innovative 

ways to increase throughput and streamline processes, such 

as baggage and customer check-in, as well as to focus on 

optimizing the customer’s end-to-end journey. In doing so, 

airlines can employ a host of technology-based solutions and 

remove significant costs from across the business, including: 

•• 

The airport experience (i.e., check-in, security, border 

control, boarding and connections); 

•• 

Enhancing the overall customer experience through longterm 

loyalty programs and proactive personalization; 

•• 

Tackling high-cost customer issues such as redesigning 

the service disruption and recovery experience. 

Similarly, airports can deploy technologies to tailor an 

appropriate airport experience around the customer that 

‘further expands the airlines’ and airports’ share of the 

traveler’s wallet by creating innovative revenue opportunities 

without interfering with an efficient operation and an 

exceptional customer experience. 

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The Customer Experience Enigma 

Airports and airlines are well aware of the need to improve 

the passenger travel experience on the ground and to 

advance it from a process that has changed little during 

the last 50 years. As a result of increased competition, 

tight economic conditions, over-taxed infrastructure and 

ever-growing customer expectations, airline executives have, 

in recent years, become increasingly focused on enhancing 

the traveler experience while continuing to manage operating 

costs. 6 Many of these day-of-travel improvements are 

possible by addressing the gaps between processes and 

customer touchpoints. Adding further momentum to the need 

for change, airline and airport customers now expect their 

travel experience to be the same as their social, banking and 

retailing experiences — connected, context rich, convenient 

and personalized (Fig. 3). 

Gaps Between Touchpoints — 

The Disconnect Within Processes 

Travelers often experience challenges or stress at the airport 

due to repetitive and seemingly redundant processes. 

Typically, they will be asked the same or similar questions 

at check-in, baggage drop, security, emigration and even 

boarding. They will be required to present the same or similar 

documentation at various points in the process. It is this 

repetitiveness from a lack of coordination across processes 

and between airport, airline and agency staff that makes for a 

negative experience. Often these disconnects result from the 

dueling objectives of various service providers. For example, 

the airline wishes to process and board travelers and baggage 

as quickly as possible; the airport, on the other hand, wants 

travelers to spend time, and money, engaging with airport 

services; and, government agencies want to ensure safe 

and secure passage. 

(Figure 3) 

Connection, Context, Convenience 

Travelers are influenced by consumer 

trends which impact how airlines design 

and manage the travel journey. 

Smart: 

more connected, more informed, 

have a voice and use it 

Specialist 

staff 

Trending 

retailers 

Virtual 

assistants 

Authentic: 

Preplanned: 

seeking real experiences, connected 

to people 

need information, dislike and mistrust 

of the unknown 

Customized 

experience 

Simple: 

Value of time: 

want choice but not so much 

it overwelms 

every moment must be useful 

or purposeful 

Control 

center 

6 

The Future of Air Travel: Improved Personalization And Profits Through The Integrated Use of Customer Data; 

published by Sabre Airline Solutions and written by The Economist Intelligence Unit. 

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Areas For Improvement 

Airline executives have stated that the majority of airlines 

will be investing in technology-based solutions, such as 

self-service and mobile, – in the near future to address many 

of the day-of-travel customer experience challenges. 7 Both 

customers and airline executives agree on the top two 

priorities for improving the airport experience. 8 First, one-time, 

seamless authentication and security control for the traveler, 

enabled via a single biometric identification accepted at 

every security point along the journey. Second, accurate and 

efficient baggage processing, delivered through electronic 

baggage tags linked to the customer profile, and offering 

real-time baggage tracking throughout the journey (Fig. 4). 

Furthermore, executives and consumers agree that boarding 

without human interaction would yield a great improvement 

in the customer experience (62 percent and 58 percent, 

respectively). In fact, by 2020, IATA wants 80 percent of 

travelers to have the option of total self-service at the airport. 9 

(Figure 4) 

Top Priority For Airline Executives And Customers 

Top priorities for improving day-of-travel experience over the next 10 years 

Single biometric ID accepted at every security point 

along the journey 

54% 

63% 

Airline 

executives 

Consumers 

Permanent baggage tags linked to customer profile, 

offering real-time baggage tracking across the journey 

Seamless real-time trip information streamed to 

mobile devices from every provider on the journey 

33% 

46% 

54% 

65% 

Ability to order meals from airport restaurants or 

duty-free purchases for delivery aboard aircraft 

21% 

44% 

Augmented reality devices (such as Google Glass) 

to guide travellers through airports 

16% 

29% 

By 2020, IATA wants 80% of passengers to 

have the option of total self-ser vice at the 

airport. Executives agree with consumers that 

boarding without human interaction would yield 

the greatest improvement in the customer 

experience (62% and 58%, respectively). 

7 

2014 Air Transport Industry Insights — The Airline IT Trends Survey; SITA 

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The Intelligent Airport 

The ideal day of travel for many airline customers is one in 

which the airport experience is completely transparent and 

seamlessly integrated, as well as where they are in control — 

or feel in control — of the interaction with the airline, airport 

and other players. For the airline, a key element in enabling 

this level of experience is the empowerment of airport staff to 

address and resolve customer needs immediately, anywhere 

and at any time, especially during a service disruption. For 

airports, this implies a dynamic and robust communicationrich 

infrastructure to cope with the flexible needs of both the 

airline and the traveler. Thus, the airport of the future is an 

intelligent environment: connected, immersive, personalized 

and multisensory. 

This intelligent airport puts the customer experience at the 

center of the entire operation and is supported by collaborative 

technology-based solutions and a partner ecosystem (Fig. 5). 

(Figure 5) 

The Airport Ecosystem 

Governing Bodies 

Airports 

Predictive 

modeling 

Actionable 

information 

Identity 

management 

Integration 

Platform 

Passenger 

profiling 

Airlines 

Situational 

awareness 

Behavioral 

analysis 

Border Authorities 

Risk 

assessment 

Retail Partners 

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Airports are experimenting with this in various ways, such as 

tailoring the complete airport operating model to suit specific 

airline and traveler needs. These emerging operating models 

for airports — the Aruba International Airport’s biometric Aruba 

Happy Flow initiative, low-cost terminals (e.g., KLIA2 -- Kuala 

Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia low-cost carrier terminal), 

destination airports (e.g., Incheon International Airport, Terminal 

2, South Korea) — are examples of an ongoing transition 

toward a more personalized and effective traveler engagement 

process, and all the while with a continued focus on efficiency 

and revenue diversification. Airports around the world are 

embarking on major technology initiatives to connect the airport 

to its customers. 

While specific operating models look vastly different, they all 

utilize a common underlying technology-based ecosystem 

consisting of: 

•• 

Adaptive architecture, 

•• 

Personal engagement and sense of place, 

•• 

Smooth connectivity, 

•• 

Seamless intelligence, 

•• 

Operational excellence to create a truly smart airport 

(Fig. 6). 

(Figure 6) 

The Smart Airport 

The Smart Airport is connected, immersive, 

personalized, and multi-sensory. It puts the 

customer experience at the center of the entire 

operation and is supported by collaborative 

technology and a partner ecosystem. 

Smart City Smart Building Smart Factory Smart Airport 

• Citizens’ needs at the 

heart of the process 

• Adaptable to 

changing situation 

• Support economic 

(including retail), 

social, cultural 

development 

• Sustainable 

• Comfort 

• Energy efficiency 

• Safety & security 

• Networked 

• Adaptable 

• Flexibility 

• Real-time production 

• Interoperability 

• Virtualization 


• Customer’s needs 

at the heart of the 

operation 

• Safety & security 

• Networked 

• Adaptable 

• Flexibility 

• Virtualization 


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The Traveler Experience Reimagined 

Airports across the globe are increasingly examining the 

airport-processing experience. An array of new and emerging 

technology-based solutions promise improved operational 

efficiency and new approaches to engaging customers, 

and which hold the potential for new revenues. 10 Additionally, 

airports are driven to find new ways to process and interact 

with a new generation of tech-savvy travelers such as 

those carrying smartphones. 11 These travelers expect 

instant interaction, engaging customer service and 

memorable experiences (Fig. 7). Furthermore, many of 

these enabling technologies can also lower operational 

costs from improved customer processing throughput 

and enhanced customer service. 

During the next 10 years or so, airports are likely to leverage 

and extend the efficiencies outlined in IATA’s Fast Travel 

initiative. This program aims to deliver self-service options in 

six areas of a passenger’s day of travel journey: check-in, bags 

ready-to-go, document check, flight rebooking, self-boarding 

and bag recovery. IATA estimates these initiatives will save 

the industry approximately US$2.1 billion while providing 

passengers with options for more control over their airport 

journey 12 (Fig. 10). IATA’s vision is that “by 2020, 80 percent 

of global passengers will be offered a complete relevant 

self-service suite throughout their journey to provide better 

convenience and reduce queues.” 13 

By implementing many of these solutions and extending into 

additional areas of the traveler experience, airlines and airports 

are poised to continue realizing incremental gains in efficiency. 

Moreover, these solutions will make the traveler’s experience 

less stressful and intrusive, and return a degree of control to 

the traveler, especially during times of irregular operations 

where the customer’s journey is disrupted. 

(Figure 7) 

The Connective Journey 

Internet 

Browsers 

Portals 

Search 

Social 

Messenger 

Internet of Things 

connects 

information 

to 

information 

connects 

people 

to 

information 

connects 

information 

to 

people 

connects 

information 

to 

people 

& commerce 

to people 

connects 

people 

to 

people 

(on a large scale) 

connects 

people 

to 

people 

(one to one) 

connects 

device 

to 

device 

10 

How Airports Can Improve Revenue & Profitability from Retail and F&B. Research For Travel. 2012. 

11 

Passenger IT Trends Survey. SITA. 2013. 

12 

IATA’s Attempt to Make Passenger Experience Seamless Gets Its Second U.S, Airline. Skift. September 2015. 

13 

IATA Program Strategy — Fast Travel Program, January 2015. 

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Near-Term Travel Technology Solutions 

For airports and all their customers — airlines, travelers, retailers, 

ground service providers — a number of key technologies are 

likely to permeate infrastructure and become critical elements 

in the reinvention of the existing customer experience. 

These technologies are likely to catalyze the development 

of entirely new business processes. Many of these are not 

new; however, adoption within the travel sector is only now 

reaching significant levels. These include: 

Technology Innovation Description Airport Benefit 

Digital Wayfinding 

Wayfinding helps people orient and find their way 

in and around a specific location. Through a welldefined 

wayfinding design, a facility can construct 

a sense of place and ensure intuitive navigation for 

visitors. 

Maximize throughput 

Biometric Identity 

Management 

Biometric identification uniquely identifies a person 

by evaluating one or more distinguishing physical, 

physiological and biological characteristics. Typically, 

biometric identity management includes fingerprint 

identification, facial recognition, voice recognition 

and iris and/or retinal scanning. 

Streamline and tighten security 

Token-based Authentication 

A tracking identifier or token combines several 

technologies to deliver a unique identifier that stays 

with a person, much like a unique digital cookie is 

set on a personal device to identify an individual’s 

visits to a website. A token can be used for both 

access authentication and tracking. 

Streamline and tighten security 

Mobile Tracking and 

Proximity Sensing 

Tracking smartphones and other wireless devices 

through a unique hardware fingerprint embedded 

in each device, enabling businesses to monitor 

customers’ movements around general vicinity, 

identify ideal foot traffic patterns, and push 

notifications and offers based on location within the 

space. 

Reduce congestion and 

enhance customer experience 

RFID Tracking 

Reliable and efficient radio frequency identification 

(RFID) technologies now enable tracking and 

monitoring of valued assets through embedded 

tags. 

Enhance customer experience 

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Technology Innovation Description Airport Benefit 

Near-field Communications 

Near-field communications (NFC) share similarities 

with Bluetooth wireless services for inter-device 

connectivity. However, while Bluetooth’s range 

typically extends to 20 to 30 feet, NFC range is 

limited to around 2 to 5 inches. As a result, NFC 

is particularly advantageous in situations where 

proximity of devices is valuable, which overcomes 

interference with other wireless devices. 

Maximize throughput and 


Geofencing 

Enables businesses to create a virtual, digital 

perimeter or fence around a location and 

automatically send a notification when a visitor 

crosses the line. In the case of geotargeting, a 

business can extend traditional location-based apps 

and consumer check-ins to deliver a full range of 

geotargeted services via the mobile channel. 

Maximize throughput and 


High-touch, Technologyenabled 

Device 

Enable businesses to arm their staff with embedded 

technology that facilitates proactive service 

interactions with the business’s staff members. 


Service Robotics 

Supplement a business’s human staff with robots 

capable of one-on-one interaction with customers, 

providing directions and resolving a customerservice 

issue. 


Augmented Reality 

Advances in connectivity speeds (5G) will enable new 

forms of virtual reality and holographic communication 

through 3-D and holographic displays to create virtual 

views of one’s surroundings. 


Virtual Assistants 

Some businesses are taking digital signage to a new 

level with 3-D projection and holographic imaging. 

This technology solution enables a business to deploy 

a human-sized virtual assistant in strategic positions 

to deliver important messaging, branding information 

or other promotional information. 


Predictive Analytics 

Provides businesses with the ability to mine 

real-time data from operations, evaluate historical 

behavior, leverage machine learning, and analyze 

current and historical facts to make predictions 

about future, or otherwise unknown, events as 

well as leverage real-time data to automate existing 

manual processes. 


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Moving Towards A Customer-centric Airport 

Technology-enabled solutions focused in specific areas of 

the airport process — such as check-in or boarding — will 

improve the lot of the traveler, airport and airline in the 

short- to mid-term. However, a more strategic rethinking 

of the entire airport experience will bring significant 

improvement. In both the near and long term, all indications 

are that passenger traffic will continue to increase, travelers’ 

expectations will be higher, security demands will remain 

and operational budgets will stay constrained. Near-term 

improvements in specific areas of the traveler’s journey 

through solutions described above will reduce business 

pressures and traveler stress (Fig. 11). However, beyond 

2025, airports, airlines, local authorities and other third 

parties integral to the air transportation value chain will 

need to innovate and collaborate as never before to redefine 

the entire process with the traveler at the center. As Paul 

Griffiths, Dubai Airports CEO, recently noted, “airports need] 

to completely reinvent the whole airport experience to make 

it more customer friendly.” 14 

14 

Smoothing the Airport Experience. Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) , The Economist. 2014. 

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The Traveler At The Center 

Any new approach to airport day-of-travel services should 

deliver a personal experience matching with travelers’ 

expectations. This may include removal of all process 

queues and uninterrupted passenger flow; invisible security 

processing and elimination of personal intrusions; increase in 

traveler discretionary time and entertainment options; custom, 

contextual information delivery; or transforming the airport 

experience to be personalized and tailored by every individual 

customer (Fig. 8). Just as airports have become sophisticated 

ecosystems covering numerous, complex business 

processes, traveler behavior at the airport is more complex 

than departing and arriving. 

Traveler activities at the airport fall into two broad categories: 

non-discretionary and discretionary. 15 Non-discretionary 

activities are those essential to boarding the aircraft and 

include: preparation, processing and queuing. Travelers 

regard these as necessary but stressful inconveniences. 

Discretionary activities are non-essential, but usually 

contribute to the traveler’s enjoyment and well-being, 

and may include consumptive activities, such as shopping, 

dining, social activities. 

A detailed analysis of these activities will give airports a 

customer-centric framework, enabling them to define new 

and engaging experiences for their travelers over the longterm, 

beyond focusing on optimization of existing operational 

processes. Additionally, airports will need to redefine, or 

preferably eliminate, non-discretionary activities and replace 

them with personalized activities weighted toward delivering 

a more enjoyable experience for the traveler — one that is 

configurable by the traveler to fit his or her specific needs 

and desires for the journey. Further, while discretionary 

activities are not directly tied to airport-processing 

performance, airports and airlines increasingly recognize 

that facilitating these is key: a pleasant airport experience 

is a fundamental way to stimulate airport spending and 

influence future air travel plans. 16 

(Figure 8) 

Putting The Customer First 

Products 

Processes 

Infrastructure 

The traditional approach 

to airport service delivery 

Technology 

Putting the customer at the center of the process and 

developing an airport experience around the customer’s needs 

15 

Towards a Taxonomy of Airport Passenger Activities. Philip J Kirk, Vesna Popovic, Ben Krall and Alison Livingstone. 

Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. 2012. 

16 

Airport Council International. 2008. 

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Characteristics Of The Reimagined Airport 

Airlines and airports will continue to face challenges and 

opportunities in the coming decades. Air traffic is projected 

to double during the next 15 years (Fig. 9), and globalization 

will continue to drive intense global competition. 16 Seeking 

to protect and broaden their revenue base, many airlines 

will build a long-term relationship with each customer. This 

is driving significant change as airlines shift from being 

transportation companies to becoming retailers of products 

and services. Moreover, airports will need to embrace a 

similar transformation, with both traveler and airline in mind. 

This is visible today as airport operators reconfigure existing 

terminals, and as new airports are constructed to enhance 

the customer experience and improve, as well as diversify, 

airport revenues. 

The transformation of existing business strategies and 

emergence of new operating models for airports highlights 

a sector undergoing tremendous change. While specific 

operating models look vastly different, they all demonstrate 

two underlying characteristics: an ongoing transition toward 

a more personalized and effective customer engagement 

process, and a continued focus on operational efficiency 

and revenue diversification. 

(Figure 9) 

The Survival Of The Fittest — 

Airports Are Struggling To Stay Alive 

The Urban World 2030 

The demand for air travel 

is forecasted to be over 10 

billion passengers 

by the year 2030. 

Global City Populations 

Medium cities, 13.4% 

1M to 5M 

Large cities, 5.2% 

5M to 10M 

Megacities, 8.6% 

10M or more 

Top 10 World Airports By Passegers (2014) 18 

Total passengers; arriving and departing passengers; direct transit passengers counted once 

1 Atlanta, Georgia, USA 

2 Beijing, China 

3 London, United Kingdom 

4 Tokyo, Japan 

5 Los Angeles, California, USA 

6 Dubai, United Arab Emirates 

7 Chicago, Illinois, USA 

8 Paris, France 

9 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, USA 

10 Hong Kong, China 

17 

Bright Lights, Big Cities; The Economist, February 4, 2015. 

18 

Source: Airports International Council; 2014 World Airport Traffic Report, Aug 31st 2015. 

18 



[ 

[ 

Conclusion 

Global opportunities, demographic pressures, ubiquitous 

connectivity, powerful personal technologies, and increasingly 

demanding and savvy travelers are combining to drive airports 

to reinvent themselves. Over time, different operational 

models will emerge and succeed. Yet regardless of operational 

approach or business model, all airports recognize the need 

to deliver an engaging and enjoyable personalized travel 

experience. Travelers armed with ever-more sophisticated 

technologies and large volumes of information at their 

fingertips will demand it. This will require airports to respond 

to customers who want connection, context and convenience 

through an integrated suite of customer-centric services, built 

over a flexible infrastructure and fueled by data-rich solutions. 

While solutions focused in specific areas of the airport process 

— such as check-in, boarding or wayfinding — will improve the 

airport experience in the short to mid-term. A more-strategic 

rethink of the entire airport experience will bring a more 

profound improvement. Over the long term, many airports 

will take significant steps to redefine their missions and 

refocus their business value propositions — in concert with 

airlines, retail partners, local/regional authorities around the 

customer’s experience. 

As airports and airlines work to improve the airport experience, 

they will need to optimize and/or redefine two facets of the 

end-to-end traveler experience. The first, as we have covered 

at a high-level, is the standard day-of-travel experience. The 

second is the service-recovery experience. It is in this area — 

such as during a severe weather event — that both airlines 

and airports face a complex and potentially costly challenge 

that spans all aspects of the business operation. 

Service recovery requires proactive and timely customer 

interaction paired with solutions that reprocess travelers 

and re-allocate staff, aircraft and other airport assets. While 

this complexity — where resolution is imperative within a 

compressed timeframe — presents difficult challenges, 

airlines and airports can benefit from opportunities that come 

from successful recovery and resolution. Examples include 

protecting revenue and maintaining customer loyalty during 

service disruptions and creeping delays. Thus, we will examine 

this important aspect of the day-of-travel operation in detail in 

the next whitepaper. 

19 


HEADQUARTERS 

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT 

SOUTHLAKE, TX, USA — 

Worldwide headquarters for 

Sabre 

Sabre Travel Network 

Sabre Airline Solutions 

Sabre Hospitality Solutions 

Southlake, TX, USA 

Buenos Aires, AR 

Krakow, PL 

Bangalore, IN 

GLOBAL OFFICES 

THE AMERICAS 

Southlake, TX, USA 

Buenos Aires, AR 

EMEA 

Abu Dhabi, AE 

Amsterdam, NL 

Athens, GR 

Bahrain, BH 

Barcelona, ES 

Brussels, BE 

Hamburg, DE 

Johannesburg, ZA 

Kraków, PL 

London, UK 

Milan, IT 

Munich, DE 

Paris, FR 

Reykjavik, IS 

Stockholm, SE 

Vienna, AT 

Woking, UK 

APAC 

Bangalore, IN 

Beijing, CN 

Mumbai, IN 

Shanghai, CN 

Singapore, SG 

About Sabre Airline Solutions 

The Sabre Airline Solutions business offers a broad range of software and data 

solutions to help airlines market themselves, sell products, serve customers and 

operate more efficiently. It provides both airline reservations systems, and a full suite 

of marketing and commercial planning software and enterprise operations solutions. 

Its data-rich software helps airlines make smarter operational decisions, personalize 

and retail their products to travelers. 

Sabre Airline Solutions services approximately 225 airlines globally including network 

carriers, hybrids and low cost carriers, primarily through Software as a Service (SaaS) 

and hosted models, providing lower cost of ownership, flexibility and scalability as 

airlines grow. The company also serves approximately 700 other customers including 

airports, cargo and charter airlines, corporate fleets, governments and tourism boards.

WHITEPAPER THE CUSTOMER-CENTRIC AIRPORT

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