Article

Commentary: Self-service is soaring at international airports

The increase in airport self-service deployments could take the stress out of future airline travel.

June 21, 2013

By Lucy Bateman

When it comes to travel, everyone is looking for a hassle-free way to reach their destination — but rarely does a passenger boast about their stress-free experience at the airport.

According to the 2012 SITA Passenger Self-Service Survey, 44 percent of air travelers experience stress over long lines, 11 percent from unexpected changes and delays and eight percent over their lack of control.

However, the check-in process is being reinvented with the introduction of self-serve kiosk technologies, and this is drastically changing the way companies are servicing and meeting the needs of their customers.

Touchscreen technology and self-serve kiosks are growing exponentially. Consumers have become increasingly independent, resulting from reliance on modern-day devices and a desire for more control over their personal information. It's no surprise that the amount of touchscreen kiosk facilities in airports have multiplied over the last few years; assisting with everything from checking-in and baggage handling, to seat allocation and information and wayfinding.

Research on the air-passenger experience at the U.K. airports of Heathrow, Gatwick, Standstead and Manchester, carried out by research firm OCR in 2007, found that slightly less than two-thirds of respondents (62 percent) checked in at the airport check-in desk; but a sizeable minority checked in either through the airline's website (27 percent) or through a self-service kiosk (9 percent).

By 2012, results from SITA/Airline Business Airline and Airport IT Trends Surveys indicated a complete change in the travel sector, with multichannel interaction becoming more commonplace and passengers showing a strong interest in using them. For example, transfer kiosks and self-boarding gates scored 8.7 and above on the passengers' technology attractiveness index, and kiosk usage increased further, with 77 percent of passengers using check-in kiosks regularly.

Self-check-in is proving particularly popular for Poland's busiest Airport, Warsaw Chopin Airport. Handling just under 50 percent of the country's air passenger traffic, the airport saw more than 112,000 travelers taking advantage of self-service check-in during the first three months of 2013, compared to 45,000 travelers the same time the previous year — that's a 149 percent increase year-over-year.

"Self-check-in is an efficient way for passengers to find their booking and choose their desired seat, without the need for assistance," said Jamie Cummins, customer service agent for Virgin Airlines. "It also keeps the check-in separate from the bag drop, making the whole process quick and flowing, which most passengers opt for as it means they're in control."

The self-service revolution is well underway with most airlines working to alleviate passenger stress by encouraging their customers to be self-sufficient. With self-service check-in, passengers use a computer terminal to choose a seat and print their boarding pass, then take their baggage to the bag-drop facility.

Passengers are generally positive about using technology to aid their travel experience, Cummins said. Airlines are interacting with passengers through multiple channels across the entire journey — to augment the process, offer more flexibility and provide a seamless, stress free travel experience.

Not surprisingly, 74 percent of airlines and 60 percent of airports are planning to go beyond self-serve check-in kiosks and offer bag-drop by 2015 — meaning travel in the future is set to be a breeze.

With millions of passengers using airports each day as the gateway to the rest of the world, and our strong acceptance of an "always connected" society, the opportunity for airlines to deploy self-serve kiosks is vast.

Lucy Bateman is the business development manager at Cammax, a U.K.-based company providing touchscreen kiosk solutions, monitors and interactive digital signage.

Read more about self-service in transportation and travel.

Photo by Sean MacEntee