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Heathrow Terminal 2 digital signage 'journey comparison generator' kiosks compare fares to London

In what it's calling "a media first," digital signage "smart screens" have been deployed at Heathrow Terminal 2's baggage claim zones showing passengers live price and journey time comparisons between taxis and the airport's train service to central London.

May 15, 2015

In what it's calling "a media first," digital signage "smart screens" have been deployed at Heathrow Terminal 2's baggage claim zones showing passengers live price and journey time comparisons between taxis and the airport's train service to central London, according to an announcement from JCDecaux.

Heathrow Express, digital out-of-home media agency DOOH.com and JCDecaux Airport UK worked jointly to create "a world-first proposition" — the "journey comparison generator," which combines real-time traffic, weather and train service information to help customers make the best choice for their onward travel.

The solution uses a moderation engine produced by DOOH.com, formerly known as Enigma, to pull together five different layers of real-time feeds from TomTom, Heathrow Express, Google, the Highways Agency and the Met Office.

The screens present passengers with the estimated time and costs at the exact moment they would use the rail link to reach central London versus getting a black taxi. Along with displaying the time of the next Heathrow Express train, the campaign also employs GPS-focused technology to highlight real-time traffic on a map that displays the journey between the terminal and Paddington Station.

Andrew Newman, co-founder of DOOH.com, said in the announcement, "Consumers through their smartphones are incredibly enabled with right information at their choosing. When it's served up to them via advertising and by a brand, we have to do more to gain their confidence. By linking scheduling information, Google maps, a GPS feed, live clock times and road traffic accident alerts, this multilayered approach gains the trust of the public, delivering relevant information that enhances their decision making."

In another media first, according to JCDecaux, the campaign turned multilingual in mid-April, as the screens on each baggage reclaim carousel began to be translated to the main language of people on the arriving flight. The campaign will also be installed across Heathrow's Terminals 3 and 5 later in the year.

The journey comparison generator shows that by using Heathrow Express rather than black cab taxis, travelers can save money and time, the announcement said. Currently more than 100,000 passengers arrive at Heathrow Airport every day.

"The aim of the 'journey comparison generator' is to enable Heathrow passengers to get into London as speedily, easily and as cheaply as possible," Fraser Brown, Heathrow Express director, said in the announcement. "By harnessing many different sources of real-time data into one, we are helping to make this happen. Research shows Heathrow Express trains are three times faster than taxis and a quarter of the price. These screens show how that comparison varies minute to minute depending on traffic, weather and time of day."