Australia’s busiest airport currently handles 42.5 million passengers and as traffic continues to grow, technology is playing an increasingly important role in ensuring that both the customer experience and operational efficiency improve at Sydney Airport.

A new technology strategy, which was devised following the appointment of Stuart Rattray as General Manager Technology in 2015, is at the centre of these efforts.

“We started our new technology strategy with a view to having the customer experience at the core, but we also recognised that there are other stakeholders involved in that customer experience and how we deliver value to our customers,” Rattray told FTE.

Like many others, Sydney Airport has been investing in self-service technologies such as kiosks and bag drops, but the approach to using open data is certainly a more distinctive element of its plans. As part of this “open data strategy”, as Rattray terms it, Sydney Airport has just become the first organisation outside of China to introduce the indoor Baidu Maps app to better help passengers navigate the airport’s terminals. Popular among Chinese consumers, the app provides intuitive navigation at various public venues across China. Now, Sydney Airport has been added to the list, adding value to those passengers flying to any of the 15 Chinese destinations served from Sydney.

“The thinking behind this is really recognising that we as an airport don’t have a direct channel to all of our customers,” Rattray explained.

“More than 42 million passengers go through our terminals every year. We have a lot of very, very useful information and data that our customers would love to get and we don’t always have a direct channel to them. So, we asked ‘how do we get that information to our customers through whichever channel they choose to use?’”

Having worked with Google to add Sydney Airport to Google Indoor Maps, it quickly became apparent that the platform adds limited value to Chinese travellers, who instead tend to use Baidu Maps for navigation. Sally Fielke, General Manager Corporate Affairs at Sydney Airport, explained that integration with Baidu was part of a “very deliberate attempt to get information that’s useful to our customers through whichever channel they choose to use”.

“I would much rather have useful information in front of 80% of our customers on their journey (through third-party channels), than useful info through our own channel getting to only 10% of them,” Rattray added.

Real-time and relevant information

Next on the ‘to do’ list is to make it easy for Sydney Airport’s airline partners to add real-time queuing information to their own apps to help relieve anxiety among passengers who are waiting to clear check-in, bag drop, security or immigration. The airport already provides real-time waiting information on screens in the terminal and is now in the process of making that information easily accessible via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

Bigger plans are also in place with regards to the open data strategy. Fielke revealed that Sydney Airport plans to leverage data to simplify the “couch to gate” experience, by providing travellers with relevant information throughout their journey, from planning to departure. “We need to look at where we can collaborate and that’s something we are actively doing,” she said.

There is a recognition that a more open approach to data can deliver big benefits on a B2B level, too. Development of a community app, perhaps similar to what has been implemented at Gatwick Airport, is being considered to help ensure that all 29,000 people who work on the airport precinct have access to relevant, real-time information that can help them realise efficiency and customer experience improvements.

End-to-end biometric processing

Like many of the more forward-thinking airports around the world, Sydney Airport is also exploring how the existing passenger touch-points in the terminal can be optimised.

On this front, Rattray and Fielke revealed to FTE that end-to-end biometric-enabled passenger processing will be trialled from mid-2018. This aims to allow passengers departing on international flights to complete the check-in, bag drop, security, outbound immigration and boarding processes using facial recognition technology, instead of having to present their passport and boarding pass at every checkpoint.

Rattray explained that biometric-enabled passenger processing is an attractive proposition for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has the potential to both enhance security and create a more seamless customer experience. Secondly, it will allow for more efficient use of the existing terminal space and infrastructure. Thirdly, it can align the requirements of the airlines and the airport, who have a shared desire to improve the overall travel experience.

Rattray also revealed that more than one approach will likely be tested, with both onsite and offsite biometric enrolment to be considered as part of the trial. Fielke added: “It’ll probably happen in parts but one day there will be that joined up approach, end-to-end.”

It is this joined up approach that will play a crucial role in improving the customer experience and optimising efficiency at Sydney Airport in the coming months and years. From the open data strategy to the collaboration with airlines to explore end-to-end biometric processing, Rattray, Fielke and their colleagues are refreshingly willing to embrace collaboration to deliver benefits to the most important customers of all: the passengers.

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AUSTRALIA. oOh!media has created an immersive virtual reality (VR) game for users of Sydney Airport’s Qantas Club Lounge as part of a Samsonite activation.

The Australasian advertising specialist’s experiential agency oOh! Edge developed the game, which challenges players to find five Samsonite suitcases as quickly as possible at three famous Paris landmarks: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe.

The activation is promoting Samsonite’s new range of suitcases with ‘Curv Technology’ and is running at the lounge throughout April. It was created collaboratively with Posterscope and Dentsu Mitchell.

A Samsonite Curv luggage pack is being awarded to the top player each week, while a return trip to Paris for two and a Samsonite Curv luggage pack will be awarded at the end of the activation.

“This VR game is an ideal way for Samsonite to engage with travellers who are in a positive mindset and willing to have fun while they’re waiting for their flight,” said oOh!media Chief Executive Officer Brendon Cook.

oOh!media cited research which had shown that Qantas club members spend around 42 minutes before their flight in the Qantas Club Lounge, which it said “provides an ideal environment for activations that engage more deeply with travellers who like premium products”.

Posterscope Managing Director Bryan Magee noted: “We know from our Out-of-Home Consumer Survey insights tool that the Samsonite audience likes to interact in social environments, so the airport provided the perfect opportunity for the added layer of fun and engagement with the VR game.”

Samsonite National Marketing Manager Dara Tang commented: “We wanted to interact and bring our brand identity to life with potential customers. This virtual reality game perfectly represents Samonite’s focus on innovation and cutting-edge technology.”

• New BizTweet service will make travelling easier and more efficient for passengers at Sydney Airport
• Flight, gate and departure/arrival time information delivered direct to passengers’ devices
• Sydney Airport is committed to enhancing the airport experience through technology

Sydney Airport has launched an innovative new service offering tailored, real time flight information to passengers via social media to further enhance the customer experience.

The airport has partnered with software provider TIC, whose BizTweet platform connects passengers with airports through social media.

Passengers flying to or from Sydney Airport can keep up to date with the latest flight information by tweeting their flight number to @flySYD or visiting the flight information page at www.sydneyairport.com.au.

Sydney Airport Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kerrie Mather said the service would improve the passenger experience, helping travellers plan their trip before they arrive at the airport.

“We want to make the airport experience as simple and stress free as possible for the 42 million passengers who fly in and out of Sydney Airport on more than 300,000 flights every year,” Ms Mather said.

“We’re proud to engage with our passengers through this information service, which provides access to the latest details on international and domestic flights, departure gates and boarding times at the touch of a button.

“Importantly, passengers will be able to access personalised flight information in their native language, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so they’ll receive timely and relevant information, when and where they need it.”

The new service is also expected to enhance efficiency by improving passenger flow throughout Sydney Airport’s terminals.

Founder and CEO of TIC Paul Brugger said the company was pleased to partner with Sydney Airport.

“Sydney Airport is one of the most well-known airports in the whole world and we are now able to offer our tailored solution to more people than ever before, further enhancing the airport’s service to its passengers,” Mr Brugger said.

“It’s great to see Sydney making their service as relevant as possible to the passenger by using our multi-lingual functionality to communicate in up to 41 different languages instantly.”

The introduction of this new service builds on Sydney Airport’s technology strategy, which is delivering new and more customised ways for visitors and passengers to access the information they need when planning their trip to the airport.

Sydney Airport has implemented a suite of state-of-the-art technology, including free Wi-Fi and airport apps, self-service check-in, automated bag drops, SmartGates, dynamic wayfinding e-directories and beacon technology.

New multilingual Flight Information Displays (FIDS) are also available in 13 languages at the T1 International terminal. The new look FIDS feature bolder colours, larger font and a more intuitive display to enhance readability and wayfinding for passengers.

The airport is Australia’s leading airport for social media followers, with around 160,000 followers across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and offers the BizTweet service in 41 languages, from Arabic through to Vietnamese.

Contact:

Joeley Pettit

Sydney Airport Media

0437 033 479

ABOUT SYDNEY AIRPORT

Sydney Airport is Australia’s gateway airport, serving 42 million passengers a year and connecting Sydney to a network of around 100 international, domestic and regional destinations.

Located just eight kilometres from the city centre, Sydney Airport contributes $30.8 billion in economic activity a year, equivalent to 6.4 per cent of the NSW economy. Sydney Airport is a major employer in NSW, generating more than 306,700 direct and indirect jobs, equivalent to 8.9 per cent of NSW employment. Some 29,000 of these jobs are at the airport itself.

ABOUT TIC AND BIZTWEET

TIC is an innovative technology company based in Cork, Ireland. Serving customers across four continents, it designs bespoke and user friendly software solutions that businesses can use and adapt to communicate more efficiently with their customers.

BizTweet is TIC’s flagship product and has won numerous business awards since its inception in 2011. The innovative software provides corporations with the ability to segment their customer base depending on their customer’s data and send pre-configured Tweets in real-time. Helping businesses to overcome the problems of impersonalised or time-sensitive social media replies and responses, BizTweet helps businesses to stand out from their competitors, easily and effectively.

To find out more about TIC and BizTweet visit www.tic.ie.