Why is airport passenger behavior important?
“Have you ever wondered how many airports there are worldwide? It is estimated that there are around 50,000 airports, from major international hubs to small regional airports. These many airports reflect the high volume of passengers using air travel.
So how do these passengers generally behave at airports, and what impact does this behavior have on the design and development of airports?
If you’re curious, let’s go to the article :)”
Customers provide the revenue source of airports; these customers are airline companies, shops, eateries, and airline passengers. If we go deeper, the customers of airline companies and all shops and restaurants in airports are also like passengers. In this case, understanding the passenger’s behavior is the basis of the aviation industry’s income source. In addition, caring for and meeting passenger needs and wants helps the aviation industry generate long-term profits.
Every decision about airports, from pricing to convenience, has a profound impact on the future travel choices of passengers. For example, exorbitant parking fees or the difficulty of finding parking at the airport can deter passengers from using their vehicles in the future and trigger them to look for alternative solutions. In addition, the attitudes and behaviors of airport and airline personnel play an important role in shaping the travel experience of passengers. Knowledgeable, empathetic staff and airports designed for usability and accessibility are key factors. Providing passengers with free internet access and easy navigation within the airport also greatly affects their experience.
Passenger attitudes and behaviors affect airports and the services, products, and actions open to all other human interaction. However, understanding passenger behavior has become the most valuable key for airlines and airport operators to improve their products, services, and marketing strategies. One of the best examples of this situation is self-check-in machines. These devices have taken place at airports based entirely on passenger needs and experiences. It has saved passengers who do not want to wait in line for long hours or who have to arrive at the airport hours earlier just because of the time they will lose from a great deal of trouble. In addition, the self-check-in machines also eliminated the time spent by passengers traveling with or without their cabin luggage in these check-in queues. In this way, the number of people waiting in line has decreased, the check-in process has become a more fluid cycle, and the time spent by passengers at the airport unnecessarily has significantly been reduced.
All these developments have left a positive mark on the travel experience of impatient passengers. E-passport devices, which have recently arrived in Turkey regarding the indispensable waiting lines of airports but are frequently encountered in other countries, have also taken their place at airports to provide a solution to one of the needs identified to improve the passenger experience. Although these devices are used exclusively for the citizens of that country, they have positively impacted the experience of both foreigners and nationals because fewer people in waiting lines and faster queues favor all passengers. Passengers can complete the transition process by completing their transactions between 20 and 30 seconds instead of waiting for minutes in the passport queue. Thanks to these devices, the workload of airport employees is lightened, while the time lost by passengers is reduced. Since passengers using these devices will plan their next trips considering these timings, the effect on the experience will be long-term.
The concept of waiting is an action that is compatible with airports, passengers do not only wait at the airports when they arrive early, but sometimes they prefer to wait at the airports for their transfer flights after hours. In such cases, many passengers want to spend this time sleeping rather than sitting or eating. While many passengers spend this time sleeping on the seats in the gate areas if the flight’s gate number is known, some prefer the seating units in the shared ones. It is an event seen worldwide, where sleep has an essential place in the waiting action of passengers. While many airline companies have found a solution to this situation by adding sleeping cabins to their lounges to provide a better experience for their passengers, some airports have turned this into a business model, aiming to increase their earnings and improve the experience of all passengers. This need, driven by passenger behavior, opened the door to a business model and improved the passenger experience.
In summary, understanding passenger behavior and aligning services accordingly yields positive outcomes for both passengers and aviation industry companies. This ongoing feedback loop has tangible and intangible benefits that compound over time, making it a valuable investment for the industry.
