July/August - 23

PASSENGER EXPERIENCE
Hardly a day has gone by this year
without yet another story of people
reuniting with their lost belongings
- or not. Baggage handling is a joint
responsibility between airport teams,
government agencies and airline
ground crews, and technology innovation
will be a huge factor in fostering
more efficient collaboration.
We're seeing several tools tackling
this issue on the tech front. Apple's
Bluetooth digital tracking helps passengers
keep track of their bags while
in transit or after arrival at an airline
storage facility. Start-ups like Bag
Tag work with carriers such as Qatar
Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, and Swiss.
Bag Tag's technology lets travelers
use their airline app to check in, label
their bag electronically and drop it off,
with the bar code stored on the user's
smartphone.
Shared Data
Data is the fuel for all kinds of innovation
at the world's airports, where
complex webs of partners work
together in close proximity. Shared
transparently, data can tell passengers
what's happening, reveal bottlenecks
in the system and hold everyone to
account, reducing delays, improving
performance and creating predictability
for passengers.
Some jurisdictions share aviation
data better than others. In Europe
and the United States, airlines and
public agencies are mandated by law
to share operational data with airport
authorities. The European Union has
adopted clear regulatory language that
mandates the collection of statistics at
airports above a minimum size threshold.
And Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
has used an open system to provide
business partners and stakeholders
with real-time data for various airport
processes since 2019.
There is an opportunity to improve
in Canada - airports here recently
banded together to ask our federal
government to mandate systemic
data-sharing and shared service standards
across the aviation ecosystem to
serve passengers better. In the meantime,
Toronto Pearson will be working
with Copenhagen Optimization, a
Danish software company, to introduce
a platform called Better Airport.
Together with new work processes
such as Total Airport Management,
the goal is to create an integrated airport-wide
system that supports more
sharing and collaboration plus faster
check-in, baggage, security and border
processes in collaboration with airlines
and government agencies.
Why Innovation Matters
AI, digital baggage, shared data - your
airport may not properly be responsible
for most of the service you receive
while traveling by air, but it can take
a leadership role by bringing partners
together so that the more digital aviation
becomes, the smoother passenger
experience can be.
This is more important than ever
at a time when talent comes at a
premium. As the industry staffs up
and trains the next generation of flight
attendants, baggage handlers, security
screeners and border agents, it's
about making travel more enjoyable
for all - the people who fly with us
and the workers who are so central to
the experience.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KURUSH MINOCHER
Kurush Minocher is People, Strategy,
and Customer Experience Leader at
Canada's Largest Airport.
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July/August

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