april2023 - 35

GoApron helps airports maximize
gate and space usage by providing
airline partners gates and spots based
on preferential use, aircraft size,
operational rules and real-time data.
without kind of a backend technological
intervention, " Collins says.
" It sounds like a sales pitch, but it's
actual numbers at this point, but I can tell
you leakage is real and this has given us
the opportunity to have more real-time
data and real-time information, which
leads to potential increases in revenue. "
Less than a year in, Collins says MKE
hasn't yet deployed the robust financial
reporting platform in earnest.
" We do intend to roll that out so that
we've got a high level of automation with
our finance department so that billing is
automated, " he says. " We do have to generate
some internal reports, but we are
working toward a higher level of automation
with all of the - kind of - data repositories
that we have on hand. "
The transition to GoApron
was seamless.
" We stopped taking phone calls and
emails one day. We broadcast to the
airport community that we were going
live on the following day and there were
no hiccups. Local changes can be done
fully adaptable to really what your mission
is, and I thought that was one of the
most unique things. It's not a one-sizefits-all-type
application. It's all tailored to
you and your facility. "
If MKE needs to change something,
Collins says it is easy to do.
" It's not another contract or development
contract, " he says.
GoApron Development
GoApron went live with its first airport
in June 2020. It started as a reservation
system for airlines and ground handlers
looking to efficiently request gates and
remote aircraft parking spots. As soon
as the request was made, the airport
received a notification and could approve
via email or from the online dashboard.
Based on airport feedback, Vaughn
says the reservation system grew to
include real-time data.
" We connect arrivals and departures
via tail number so we can show the airport
and airlines how much time they're
actually spending at the gate, " he says,
adding this data can then be used for
safety, visibility, situational awareness
and billing.
" It's very important to know what's
happening that day or what could be
happening three months down the
road, " he says, noting that's especially
important when a new service or route is
being added.
Providing a collaborative central
system for all stakeholders to communicate,
he says keeps folks in the know from
a safety perspective and gives the ops
team the ability to focus on other tasks
instead of taking information over the
phone and entering it into a spreadsheet.
" Especially for these crucial roles at
the airport that can be very hands-on,
they have to be very aware and alert, "
Vaughn says. " The more information and
data they know, the more manual tasks
that are automated, the more everyone's
life gets easier, safer and ultimately
the airport will earn what they're supposed
to earn. "
From an airline passenger perspective,
the benefit is a gate waiting for them
when they arrive.
" We take a very collaborative approach
with our airport partners, working closely
to solicit feedback which helps drive platform
innovation, " Vaughn says.
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april2023

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