How Airport Kiosks Improve the Operational Efficiency – The Complete Guide

Benefits of baggage drop kiosks

Improved passenger experiencel; The passengers need not rely on the airport staff to perform baggage formalities. Self-service automation empowers the passengers to perform the drop off tasks at their pace. The passengers can select their preferred language from a list of languages and easily follow the step-by-step instructions displayed on the kiosk. Passengers appreciate the added convenience, reliability and security of the operations.

Reduced waiting time The fast and efficient baggage-processing reduces the waiting time involved in the conventional baggage handling process.

Improved resource allocation The bag drop Airport kiosk reduces the burden on the airline/airport staff. The management need not hire employees to handle the tag-printing and fastening job which is unproductive and monotonous. The employees may be redeployed to other areas where human intervention brings in more value to the airport facility.

Improved operational efficiency

• Improved throughput – With automated check-ins and baggage drop facilities, the passenger-processing capability of airports in a given period of time increases. This indicates increased throughput, and thus, improved operational efficiency.
• Reduced human errors – Automated self-service reduces human errors drastically and improves the overall operational efficiency of the airport facility.
• 24/7 baggage drop handling – Whatever be the flight schedule, the facility is available round-the-clock, making it highly convenient for passengers.

Information and Wayfinding kiosks for Airports

Airport kiosks also serve as dedicated information platforms that perform automated customer service. The are widely deployed in airport premises for information and wayfinding purposes. As the name suggests, information dissemination is the prime purpose behind the deployment of Information and Wayfinding kiosks at airport premises. These kiosk machines can be deployed at any convenient location of the airport which has adequate accessibility.

Information kiosks for airports feature all the necessary hardware components to facilitate smooth and efficient dissemination of airport-related services, amenities, information regarding dining facilities, passenger waiting area etc.

They also serve as reliable wayfinding solutions in airport premises.

Usually, these interactive kiosk machines comprise intuitive touchscreen display, scanner, printer, card reader, keyboard, camera, microphone, speakers and other accessibility features.

Information & Wayfinding Kiosk for Airports – benefits

Deploying Information Kiosks or Airport Assistance Kiosks in the airport premises is beneficial for both the authorities and passengers. And the major benefits are provided below.

• Location finder – These automated kiosk machines can help passengers locate all the important service-points in airport premises, in seconds! The kiosk machine is capable of presenting routes, directions and maps of strategic airport locations, giving the passenger a bird’s eye view of the airport. Be it restroom, check-in counter, passengers need not wait for any human intervention. Just few taps on the kiosk screen, and that’s it!
• Gather real-time information – the Airport kiosk offers the most up-to-date, real-time information for passengers regarding the flight timings, delays, emergency messages, etc. The passengers need not have to visit the conventional information counters, every now and then, to access updated information.
• Reduced burden on airport staff– The automated Airport service kiosk is capable of answering a plethora of passenger-queries which is otherwise managed by the airport staff.
• Reduced congestion – Congestions or crowding occur when the process of information dissemination gets delayed. Passengers crowding at staff-managed information counters are common in peak-hours. Information kiosks, when strategically deployed, takes good care of congestions and bottlenecks.
• Multi-language facility – Information kiosks deployed at large airport terminals are equipped with multi-language facility so that international fliers can access information in their desired language.
• Remote monitoring – The airport IT department can easily monitor the performance of the kiosk networks from a different location. The network can be instantly updated with the most relevant and up-to-date information, almost instantly. Remote monitoring facilitates proactive maintenance and reduces system downtime and these aspects are crucial in maintaining the operational efficiency of airports.
• Empowered passengers – When passengers get the opportunity to access airport services and information, without external intervention, they feel highly empowered and confident. The airport kiosk becomes their preferred “customer information center” as they offer 24/7 support and reliable guidance.
• Passenger data acquisition – the airport authorities can gather valuable pasenger data via airport kiosks like their preferences, frequently-used facilities etc. Customer data acquisition helps to figure out important aspects related to peak-time customer flow, high footfall areas etc. The data, in turn, helps authorities to improve passenger experience and resource allocation. The footfall data is instrumental in taking strategic decisions related to airport expansion and infrastructure development. Yes, the data has immense strategic relevance!
• Revenue generation – The passenger service terminal presents excellent opportunities for the management to generate revenue through advertisements and promotional materials. In idle conditions, the kiosk machine may promote airport amenities like duty-free shops, other shopping outlets, dining facilities etc. through engaging videos and ads. The interactive kiosk terminals can easily catch the attention of passengers through short clips and interactive presentations.

Technological advancements in Aviation sector

Technology is integral to the aviation industry as the industry encompasses aspects like safety, efficiency, passenger experience and sustainability. Some of the important technological advancements meant to improve these core aspects are listed below.

Biometric boarding – Biometric-assisted boarding helps in faster check-ins. It speeds up the boarding process, reducing passenger waiting time. And of course, there are security-related benefits too. As the customer identification and processing takes place effortlessly, in minimum time, the airports are able to accommodate and process more passengers. And this is evident, particularly during the peak hours.

Airport kiosks integrated with facial recognition technology are employed in major airports in the middle-east like Dubai International Airport, UAE and Hamad International Airport, Qatar.

Have you experienced biometric boarding in any of your air travels? Tell me in the comments.!

Check-in and Baggage drop kiosk – Nowadays, automated check-in and boarding kiosks handle the routine check-in and baggage drop formalities which were conventionally handled by airport staff. Passenger boarding kiosks are mutually beneficial for both the passengers and the airport management. They have now become a necessity in busy airport terminals to control the peak-hour passenger flow, and thus improve the operational efficiency.

IoT and Sensor technology – Internet of Things is the next BIG THING in the aviation industry.

IoT sensors helps in the real-time tracking of assets like passenger baggage in the airport premises. Real-time tracking plays an important role in baggage handling, as passengers can track the status and location of their baggage post the check-in. Additionally, the real-time baggage updates help to retrieve them in minimum time, avoiding delays, confusions and other unpleasant scenarios like theft.

The real-time updates from IoT sensors also helps passengers to reduce their anxiety levels in connection with baggage-retrieval.

See, how technology is transforming the conventional, time-consuming airport scenarios, solving the age-old issues and concerns!

Sensors are also employed to monitor various environmental parameters inside the airport premises like quality of air, temperature condition, noise level etc. Maintaining these parameters at their optimum levels makes passengers relaxed, and they will surely cherish the time spent!

RFID-assisted applications – Integrating RFID technology into the airport systems helps in real-time baggage-tracking. RFID works on a tag and reader system in which the RFID reader gathers information from the tagged object. Other than baggage-tracking, the technology has a wide range of applications in airport environments like passenger identification, access control of airport staff, equipment tracking, inventory management etc.

RFID kiosks and their use-case scenarios in healthcare sector are published here, for additional reading.

Technology for sustainability – Implementing green technologies with reduced carbon footprint contributes towards sustainability. Cochin International Airport in India is a notable example, recognized as the world’s first fully solar-powered airport. Around 46,000 solar panels are installed in the airport which produces a whopping power of 12MW, making the airport self-sufficient. Cochin International Airport is an excellent example of prioritizing substantiality in airport operations.

Panashi’s Angola Airport Kiosk Project (Case Study)

Central Africa is home to the nation of Angola.

The project required a feature-rich self-service airport kiosk for one of Angola’s prestigious airports. Africa's airports have to contend with a number of difficulties, including inadequate infrastructure, budgetary limitations, a shortage of trained aviation personnel, problems with airport connectivity, etc. We perfectly understood the scenario and came up with a feasible Airport Kiosk solution.

Services offered

Panashi provided a well-stocked Airport Check-in kiosk to handle the routine operations of the airport. The airport kiosk was packed with several user-friendly features that made traveling easier, such as self-check-in facility, the ability to print boarding passes, luggage tag printing, etc. After the successful deployment, travelers could quickly obtain all the information they needed, including flight details, airport amenities, and security guidelines etc. via the Airline self-service kiosk terminal. Additionally, the kiosk offered multilingual functionality for visitors from abroad which made passenger interactions much smoother and convenient.

Results achieved

The airport kiosk became instrumental in improving the overall operational efficiency of the Angola-based airport. Passengers could easily perform self-service check-in via the kiosk terminal. This reduced the burden on the airport staff which reflected in the form of improved airport resource allocation. As a result, the airport could better manage their staff and reduce staffing expenses. Passengers were immensely satisfied with the services offered by the airport kiosk. They appreciated the sheer convenience and utility aspect of the kiosk which truly indicated the measure of passenger satisfaction.