Article

Ground control to major kiosks

Kiosk activity at airports is gaining ground, as airlines and airports compete to improve their customer service. Passengers in a hurry are discovering that self-service speeds up the process of flying.

April 4, 2002 by

For the airline industry, excellence in customer service isn't just about making sure employees are friendly and helpful. In fact, a renewed emphasis on kiosks at airports is helping flyers avoid contact with staffers altogether and help themselves to reservations, seat assignments and even baggage checks.

As the push to gain and keep clients intensifies, airlines and airports alike are turning to technology, specifically to Web-enabled kiosk units.

"They are a big market (for the industry) right now," IBM media relations representative Linda Hanson said of air carriers. "I think it plays into the customer service movement that you're seeing at airlines."

About five years ago, airlines and airports began to use kiosks as part of a renewed effort at customer service. But experts say flyers weren't yet ready for the technological advances, and airlines tabled their kiosk developments, at least temporarily.

Now self-service kiosks are popping up in bunches at busy airports. According to IBM, the world's airlines pour more than $10 billion a year into information technology, and some of that money is going to kiosks.

Leading the kiosk initiative is Chicago-based United Airlines. After a failed attempt to integrate a kiosk program five years back, the company is launching an ambitious deployment in selected airports. United announced in March that it would install 800 kiosks in 25 North American airports before 2002.

Chris Nardella, a United media relations representative, said the technology will continue to have a vital impact on air travel for some time. The kiosks help customers check in for flights, reserve seats and assist in checking baggage.

"(They) give us the ability in locations to double or triple the number of check-in positions we have, especially where we have space constraints," he said. "Andwe have seen very diverse groups of people using them. We've seen the elderly leisure traveler using them as well as the business traveler."

Mobile Kiosks

In 1998, United introduced Mobile Chariot Units, ambulatory check-in podiums that rely on wireless technology to connect to computer systems. The battery-powered chariots, built by Arral Industriesof Ontario, Calif., allow the airline to efficiently deploy the portable stations anywhere in the airport. United has more than 75 chariots in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Miami and Washington, D.C.

Each Mobile Chariot Units has a printer, LCD monitor, keyboard and multi-directional speaker used for announcements. They allow customers to perform the same functions as the stationary kiosks: print boarding passes, change seating assignments, request different flights or upgrades, view accumulated frequent flyer miles and indicate the number of bags to be checked in.

"They're completely mobile," said Arral Industries marketing director Ben Wheeler. "They have a battery that runs them for nine hours. They can be moved to a specific problem area that the airline may have. About a year ago, San Francisco International lost its power and the only people that could ticket and board were United Airlines (passengers), because of this kiosk."

Wheeler said the price of each unit is about $15,000 to $18,000.

Arral Industries hopes to sell thousands to airlines anxious to automate customer service functions. "They are so timely to the industry. They can pretty well take over all the functions of standard ticketing, (but they are also) ambulatory and can be used when there are power failures and outages that basically take the entire airport down. It gives (users) the opportunity to update travel itinerariesÂ…in real time. It's an incredible piece of machinery," Wheeler said.

He added that the air travel industry has helped boost business throughout the kiosk industry.

"It's moving the entire kiosk industry forward," said Wheeler. "It's a great thing. It's going to support the business for a long time."

Arral is targeting another travel-related business for its kiosks.

"Our goal at this moment is to proliferate it into the cruise line industry," he said. "We'd love to see it used as a re-boarding tool in remote sites."

Follow the Leader

Other airlines may not be as aggressive as United, but most have a self-service initiative in the works. Atlanta-based Delta Air Linesis making self check-in kiosks a focal point of its customer service campaign.

"

The kiosks are part of a larger program that we've been putting in place over the last two to three years," said Cindy Kurczewski, a Delta corporate communications spokesperson. "Delta has invested millions of dollars in new technology, all of it aimed at streamlining the airport process. (We've) tried to determine how we can use technology to improve those processes for the customersÂ…the kiosks are certainly a key piece of that."

Delta has placed kiosks in eight airports, including Chicago's O'Hare and New York's LaGuardia. "We continue to build customer familiarity with the kiosks," Kurczewski said. "Customer response to them has been very, very positive so far. And we continue to look at locations where we can expand our kiosk use."

Keeping it Simple

Most airline kiosks perform the same functions as the United and Delta units. But some air carriers, like Forth Worth, Texas-based American Airlines, offer the machines as information providers. American kicks off an educational kiosk program in March. Called the "Dangerous Goods Education" unit, it will be unveiled at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport and is designed to inform travelers of flight safety rules and regulations.

"When they get (the kiosk) out to the ticket counter area, the plan is that the traveling public will see it and become educated on what you can and can't take on board an aircraft," American media relations specialist Laura Mayo said. "It's just a display case that has things that you are not allowed to have on board, like lighter fluid, strike-anywhere matchesÂ…and that sort of thing. I think most people need to be educated on what's hazardous material and what's not, and this is a way to get the word out to the traveling public about what's safe and what's not."

Once the ball is rolling, American plans to install the kiosks in seven other cities. If that proves successful, said Mayo, "the goal is to have them system wide."

For now, the company is not looking to use its units in more innovative fashions.

While those using kiosks seem pleased with the results, not every airline has jumped onboard. Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas, dumped its kiosk program and has no new plans in the works.

"Years ago we had automatic ticket machines in the airport-they were sort of like ATM's-but we do not have those anymore," said Melanie Jones, a Southwest media relations representative. "We used them for years, very successfully, but more and more customers are booking directly and we have ticketless travel. There's not as much use for a ticket, so that's where they almost became obsolete for us."

Worldwide Footprint

Foreign-based airlines are embracing kiosks as well. Air Canada has deployed 93 Express Check-In units, made by IBM, in six cities. They're used by 8,000 passengers daily, 30 percent of Air Canada's customers.

British Airways has installed 160 self-service kiosks at airports worldwide. And down under, the Ansett Australia Group reports its kiosks have reduced the average check-in time from 90 to 30 seconds.

Not Just for Airlines

It isn't just airlines that are using kiosks to help passengers. Airports are getting into the act as a way to keep customers entertained. In Portland, Maine, officials at the city's airport teamed with Verizon Wireless to offer eight Web-enabled units that allow patrons to surf the Internet, check e-mail and play online games for 25 cents per minute.

At Denver International Airport(DIA) in Colorado, Skyport Development has placed six retail kiosks in a second-floor passenger lounge. Customers there use the machines to purchase items ranging from laptop computer components to pet supplies.

"It's a new program," said Skyport's Dennis Deslongchamp. "We've been out here six months. We're the only ones that really have anything at DIA. Right now, we're just doing the six, (but) I think we'd eventually like to see more."

Deslongchamp said airports "are difficult to get into," but the market is a prime one for kiosks since delays often leave passengers with time on their hands.

"If you've got free time and you see a touch-screen, you're going to want to go up and touch buttons," he said. "I think (using kiosks for informational purposes) is a great idea, but if you can generate revenue out of it, that's even better."