American Airlines has reimagined the traditional airport layout to offer passengers a more intuitive and convenient airport experience, allowing them to easily move from check-in, to security to the gate. Kevin Doeksen, American Airlines’ Director, Customer Planning & Consulting, will deliver an exclusive presentation on its Next Generation Airport concept at FTE Global 2013.

In his Day 2 Keynote Address at FTE Asia 2013 Adrian Harley, General Manager Airports, Cathay Pacific Airways, described how the airline had been working on its concept for the Airport of the Future, but is not yet ready to roll out its grand vision.

It is certainly a tough nut to crack, but we are delighted to announce that American Airlines – one of the largest airlines in the world – has managed to formalise and recently open a Next Generation Airport concept at DFW Terminal A and will deliver an exclusive presentation at FTE Global 2013 providing justification to the concept, as well as revealing what their employees and customers are saying about it.

This exciting presentation will be delivered by Kevin Doeksen, Director, Customer Planning & Consulting, American Airlines and is the first of many announcements we will make in the coming weeks about the most ambitious FTE conference agenda yet. Registration for FTE Global 2013 is now live!

This year’s groundbreaking FTE Asia Conference and Exhibition saw a record attendance of 250 international delegates, 20 cutting-edge exhibitors and 30 renowned speakers from the airlines, airports and suppliers that are pioneering the air travel industry across the world.

The event delivered some fascinating insights into how global leaders are developing an out-of-the-ordinary experience for the passenger, and we learned just what the industry’s most creative minds think is possible in air travel’s future. In the next few years we can expect mind blowing transformations that will streamline and personalise the airport journey for a passenger who is more empowered than ever before.

Here’s a glimpse of the 10 most exciting and extraordinary trends that you can expect to see in the not-to-distant future of the travel experience: 

10. More of your time back

The industry is on the very cusp of innovative airport solutions such as drive through self-bag drops, said Airbiz’s Managing Director Greg Fordham. As infrastructures evolve and current technologies meet with outside of the box thinking, airports will develop initiatives to give time back to their passengers.

… and no more queuing. According to Airbiz’s Managing Director Greg Fordham, in five years’ time, there will be no need for a single human agent in the terminal – or rather, a single agent behind a desk. Instead an entirely automated airport journey will see the passenger take complete control, while an optimised team of multilingual and multi-skilled airport staff will concentrate on assisting those who need it.

Automated and self-service processes will virtually eliminate queues too, and with every traveller processing himself in one common-use area, more than just a few minutes will be stripped from the airport journey, giving passengers their time back. Fordham explained that such an experience is a fusion of existing technology with some outside the box thinking, and that the industry is on the very cusp of innovations such as drive through self-bag drops. He also said that permanent bag tags will become universal, as will permanent boarding passes, and that advances in RFID technology and passenger tracking mean that soon you could have your baggage delivered to you in Arrivals.

Every second of the airport journey will be valuable and free of waiting, and without spending their time in queues, passengers will truly be able to embrace ever-more enticing food & beverage and retail offers. Passenger spend will soar, and airport commercial areas will evolve to deliver experiences unmatched anywhere else. Expect to make your duty free purchases from a virtual retail wall for delivery to your door when you return – features like Tesco’s virtual grocery store at Gatwick Airport will become the standard – and airport dining will take on an entirely new form. Passengers will be able to order food for delivery at their gate, so they can eat just what they choose on the plane. In the terminal you will use your mobile phone to select what you want to eat from a diverse range of restaurants; it will be cooked in a common kitchen and delivered to you, wherever you may be, using passenger tracking. All this, Fordham said, is “just a matter of time”.

9. Baggage processes that are all RFID, with none of the waiting

All Nippon Airways’ revolutionary Fast Travel initiative utilises RFID bag tagging in a unique way to deliver an on-time performance for its passengers and reduce CO2 emissions.

It seems All Nippon Airways (ANA) is already in the future when it comes to baggage processing, and the airline has accomplished remarkable things in areas of the passenger experience with the trial of its Fast Travel initiative. ANA’s Manager – Passenger Service, Planning, Airport Operations and Services, Nobutaka Koyanagi, explained that on entering the airport passengers are provided with mobile tablets that enable them to check their own bags, navigate the airport themselves and receive real-time messages informing them of when to proceed to their gate.

To drop off baggage takes travellers just seconds, and the ingenious process is also saving boarded passengers’ time (and reducing CO2 emissions) by all but removing delays to flights caused by no-show passengers. Messages to the tablets that remind passengers of how long they have left to board are minimising the number of passengers that don’t show for their flight, but should a traveller not turn up before the gate closes, ANA’s baggage offloading system will ensure that the flight is not held up.

The intelligent self–bag drop records the size and weight, and takes a photograph, of dropped bags, to which passengers have attached a permanent, traceable RFID bag tag. Should a passenger not arrive at the gate and a bag need to be offloaded, an RFID scanner is used to locate it amongst the others in the cargo hold. The bag can be found in minutes – the photo used to verify that it is the correct one – and once offloaded, it will be returned to the passenger using passenger tracking, for operations that are on time, all the time.

8. An app that does everything you need

Stefan Rust, CEO, Exicon: “Apps are for loyalty, web is for acquisition.” Travel apps have one of the highest user retention rates of any category of app, with 50% of users retaining apps after 90 days, and using them three times a week.

For many travellers, an extensive arsenal of apps is an indispensable part of the airport journey, and we can expect mobile applications to soon become even more ubiquitous, for the passenger of the future is, explained Stefan Rust, Founder & CEO of Exicon, quite literally always connected.

Even now it seems that there is an app for almost anything, from Passbook – the storage platform for all of your boarding passes, coupons and just about everything you need for travel but your passport – to Satisfly – the social seating tool that allows users to choose their inflight seatmates based on their personal preferences and social network profiles. Apps are becoming a travel essential, and, Rust said, by 2015 the mobile revolution will have really transformed the experience.

In the near future it is likely that all-encompassing mobile apps will provide a thorough, end-to-end service – aggregates of airlines, airports, hotels and ground transports will incorporate the tools for every part of the airport experience. Before your flight, an API will enable you to research and book your flight and arrange your local travel; at the airport it will guide you through the terminal, tell you where to check in, track your luggage, exchange your currency and allow you to plan your arrival, book a room and rent a car, as well as providing you with all the information you will need when you get to your destination.

7. Even more reality

Copenhagen Airport (CPH) is a trailblazer of the augmented reality trend, and its compelling developments in airport wayfinding are contributing to an increasingly seamless airport journey for its independent, me-centric passengers.

Rust went on to say that in the future augmented reality will enhance even further the ease with which we travel, predicting that the development of Google Glass will have a massive impact on the experience.

Copenhagen Airport (CPH) is a trailblazer of the trend, and its compelling developments in airport wayfinding are contributing to an increasingly seamless airport journey for its independent, me-centric passengers. Steve Tarbuck, Copenhagen Airport’s Business Development Manager, explained that CPH has adopted an agile approach to meeting the needs of the passenger of the future.

Its 360-degree wayfinding tool is an immersive 3D map that displays photo panoramas of every passenger area in the airport and its grounds, allowing travellers to get an overview of their trip through the terminal from their PC at home, or on the move at the airport on their mobile, where the free CPH Airport app will then position them by triangulation of the hundreds of WiFi access points in the terminals.

Passengers can select their starting point and where they want to get to from a drop down menu of airport locations. A metre-by-metre visualisation of their route then enables them to work out just where Gate A23 is, and quite how they find it from the Caffè Ritazza where they were having a cup of coffee, or how they get from baggage belt #4 where they collected their luggage to a car rental in The Arcade.

Meanwhile, CPH’s navigation app with augmented reality allows passengers to use the camera in their iPhone to photograph (or scan) points of interest in the terminal such as shops, restaurants, information desks, lounges and gates. The app then informs you in which direction and how many metres you must go to get to it – giving an extra layer of reality.

6. The power of mobile and NFC

Japan Airlines (JAL) has achieved a remarkably streamlined passenger experience in its domestic terminals. Andrew Wang, JAL’s Manager Planning – Group Web Sales explained that the state-of-the-art ‘Tap & Go’ NFC boarding pass facility allows travellers to simply touch their smart phone to a reader to enter departures, without even launching an application.

Japan Airlines (JAL)’s Andrew Wang, Manager Planning – Group Web Sales, made clear that mobile is everything in the future of travel, with sales of its domestic flights on smartphones increasing by +357% between 2011 and 2012.

The airline has a clear-cut mobile strategy, with 11 different apps covering every possible part of the end-to-end airport journey – and beyond. The apps boast a number of unique and unprecedented features that set an unmatched standard in mobile usage – live video feeds of planes on the taxiway convey weather conditions, while live streams of security lanes show passengers where there are queues – and where there are not.

In its domestic terminals JAL is doing some astounding things with mobile to improve the passenger experience. The ‘Tap & Go’ mobile tool utilises Near Field Communication (NFC) for automated entry with Integrated Circuit boarding passes, in security areas and at boarding gates. The process is simple as the passenger touching their mobile phone to a scanner that reads the NFC signal, without any need to launch an application.

JAL’s ingenious, new-generation gates can read NFC signals, paper barcode boarding passes and mobile QR codes all at one touch point. They then recognise whether the pass is valid for the time and date of flight, and permit the passenger to enter – a motion sensor recognises when multiple passengers on one booking have entered departures.

Japan Airlines has already eliminated the need for domestic passengers to check-in as their payment for the flight does that for them. In fact, passengers only need to go to a kiosk if they have not yet selected their seat, otherwise kiosks have been all but eradicated from the airport process.

If you are flying with JAL, the airport journey in almost entirely in your hands – and in your mobile – and Wang suggested that, in the future, we can expect NFC to be a part of nearly every aspect of the airport experience, and we expect him to be right.

Look out for the second part of FTE Asia 2013’s top 10 future travel trends next week. Subscribe to our newsletter and make sure you don’t miss it!

The new Navigator app is a perfect complement to Star Alliance’s other app, FareFinder, which lets travellers find and compare prices and flights across the Star Alliance Network.

Star Alliance’s new iPad app will serve as a complement to its existing iPhone app, and continues its strong efforts to provide integrated mobile access to its services.

Entitled ‘Navigator’, the app’s key new feature, ‘My Trip’, enables customers to save and browse their Alliance flight itineraries. This feature is exclusive to the iPad app.

Not only that, but Navigator also allows users to access an interactive 3D globe which visually depicts the Star Alliance network of 27 airlines, 30,000 daily flights and 1,329 destinations worldwide.

The app also contains plenty of information about the company and its member airlines, along with a flight tracker and Lounge Finder – which can inform users if an airport they plan on travelling from has an accessible members lounge.

Created by American business consultant SapientNitro, the app is now available for download via the Star Alliance website or directly from the App Store.

A pilot is underway at Dublin Airport, allowing certain arriving passengers to use self-service immigration through automated border control gates. SITA’s iBorders biometric gates use facial recognition technology to identify each passenger, verifying that they are the passport holder and are authorised to enter the country. Up to 1,000 passengers per day are currently being processed, in as few as 7.5 seconds each.

Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr. Alan Shatter, T.D said: “Border control arrangements at Dublin Airport are currently undergoing major change. Immigration control processes are being reviewed and leading-edge border technology such as automated gates is being tested. Many major European airports are adopting a similar trend towards the deployment of automated gates for immigration control functions to enhance passengers’ experience on arrival at airports while also strengthening border security. The trial period will test the suitability of e-gates for use at Dublin Airport with a view to providing a more secure and efficient means for clearing passengers through immigration control. I look forward to receiving recommendations on the future use of such technology on conclusion of the trials.”

The automated border control gates will be at Dublin Airport until October.

10 ‘GoSleep’ sleeping pods have been installed at Abu Dhabi International Airport. There are plans to upgrade the chairs to include internet access and secure storage for luggage and other valuables.

Abu Dhabi Airports Company has introduced 10 ‘GoSleep’ sleeping pods at Abu Dhabi International Airport, with a further 35 on order for installation later this year. The current 10 are located in Terminal 3 and the Al Dhabi Lounge.

‘GoSleep’ is a state-of-the-art chair that converts into a private flat bed.

The sleeping pods feature a partial or fully enclosed sliding shade designed to isolate the traveller from noise, light and crowds. Following this initial launch phase, the chairs will be upgraded to include internet access and secure storage for luggage and other valuables. Travellers will also be able to charge their laptops, mobile phones, and other electronic devices. The chairs cost AED45 per hour to use, payable by credit card.

Mohammed Al Bulooki, Chief Commercial Officer, ADAC, said: “Abu Dhabi Airports Company continually strives to enhance the experience of passengers travelling to, from or via Abu Dhabi International Airport. The introduction of ‘GoSleep’ sleeping pods is another step towards exceeding customers’ expectations and delivering world-class levels of service. Abu Dhabi Airports Company is proud that it is the first airport in the world to have secured an agreement to install the very latest passenger experience that embraces the latest technology. The instalment of these innovative new convertible chairs highlights ADAC’s commitment to using the latest technologies to improve airport facilities, ensuring that passengers have the best experience whilst visiting Abu Dhabi International Airport.”

We encourage you to book your place ASAP to benefit from the early booking discount, and to ensure you secure a place on the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport Tour which has limited places.

This unique independent global forum for travel industry stakeholders will focus on the end-to-end travel process from the passenger point of view – from the moment of booking through to the collection of baggage at the arrival destination – and will assess how every aspect of the passenger experience can be improved.

Hosted by McCarran International Airport, one of the most progressive airport authorities in the world, at the spectacular Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, the event promises to deliver an outstanding learning and networking platform through workshops, conferences, airport tours, social events, Awards ceremony and inspiring exhibition program.

Leading organisations already confirmed to speak include JetBlue, Heathrow Airport, Air France KLM, Los Angeles World Airports, Queensland University of Technology, PhoCusWright and McCarran International Airport. Our full agenda, which is our most ambitious and progressive yet, will be announced in the weeks to come.

» Find our more about FTE 2013 here.

Vancouver Airport Authority signed a letter of intent with Chicago Department of Aviation to provide the technology and the kiosks to Chicago O’Hare.

Chicago Aviation Department plans to have 32 automated kiosks installed within O’Hare by 1st July. This will allow US citizens to bypass the lengthy paper declaration card process when arriving, saving on time and resources.

O’Hare will be the first airport in the US to receive the kiosks, following a successful trial in Vancouver International Airport earlier this month. The touch-screen kiosks will ask passengers a series of questions, producing a receipt once completed. Passengers then take this receipt, along with their passport and boarding pass, to a Customs & Border Protection officer for verification.

“This technology will help expedite customs processing for passengers arriving to O’Hare, further strengthening Chicago as a global destination,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel: “Being the first airport in the U.S. to implement these advances demonstrates how serious we are about making Chicago the first, best and most welcoming city in the country.”

The kiosks are free to use, require no prior registration, and will address what is frequently listed as passengers’ biggest complaint – waiting times in customs.

Passengers flying to all destinations are able to use the new wall, which also provides additional information about all of the products displayed.

Passengers passing by Frankfurt Airport’s Schengen Gate B59 can now purchase duty free goods by simply pointing their smartphone at the wall.

The wall, which is stylised like a floor-to-ceiling billboard, is covered with images of popular travel retail products, with each one accompanied by a unique QR code. When the code is scanned by a passenger’s smartphone, they can proceed to place the product into a virtual shopping basket. When they are done scanning, they simply place their order and wait for it to arrive at a neighbouring pick-up point in less than fifteen minutes. Payment is only taken upon the collection of the purchases.

“The trial period that we’ve organised in partnership with airport operator Fraport is limited to six months in the first instance,” said Markus Ettlin, Head of Central Marketing at Gebr Heinemann: “The main point of it is not to make a lot of sales. We are more interested in finding out how the new virtual shop is used and which nationalities it appeals to most. At the same time, of course, we want to make shopping even easier and more relaxing for our customers.”

“We are delighted that Gebr Heinemann and Fraport are working closely together to enhance duty free shopping by raising customer satisfaction levels as high as possible together with us,” commented Fraport Head of Retail Ute Pohl. “We are excited to see how passengers will respond to the new virtual shopping range. And we’re proud to be the first German airport to offer travellers this totally new shopping experience.”

Passengers will be able to choose from an initial range of 60 products, many of which are categorised as ‘Special Offers’, which grants an exclusive 30 per cent discount. Should passengers need to board their flight before they can collect their purchases then the order is automatically cancelled.

SriLankan Airlines Chief Marketing Officer G.T. Jeyaseelan believes that the kiosks will allow Bandaranaike “to use its existing facilities more efficiently and maintain better control over its infrastructure.”

SriLankan Airlines has chosen Bandaranaike Internatonal, the country’s largest airport, in which to introduce its self-service check-in kiosks.

The flagship carrier claims that through the kiosk, passengers can check-in by simply entering their ticket numbers, booking reference, FlySmiles membership numbers or by scanning the barcode on their digital ticket.

The kiosks will serve not only SriLankan, but other select airlines as well, and should passengers struggle with the system then staff are never too far away to lend a helping hand.

“We consider this a noteworthy move in our future plans to place SriLankan Airlines in an expedient position along with our planned entry to the Oneworld global travel alliance” SriLankan Airlines Chairman Nishantha Wickramasinghe said.

In addition to saving time with its basic check-in function, the kiosks will allow passengers to change their seat booking and print their own boarding pass, should they desire.

Ten of the countless highlights from the most ambitious and successful FTE Asia yet, in partnership with Hong Kong International Airport, IATA, ACI Asia Pacific, Dragonair, Cathay Pacific and PATA. A record conference and exhibition saw the attendance of more than 250 international delegates, 30 renowned speakers and 20 cutting-edge exhibitors from 25 countries around the world.

For more highlights from FTE Asia, please see a selection of tweets from our event hashtag #FTEAsia at the bottom of the page.

Look out for the fascinating full show report in next week’s FTE Newsletter.

Over 120 people attended the IATA Workshop, where Lufthansa’s Thomas Jeske and Barry Woolnough of British Airways united to address the necessity for Common Use passenger processes and standardised solutions in the streamlined passenger experience. Paul Behan and Stephan Copart from IATA added that in the future self-service technologies could make taking a flight as simple as boarding a train.

A traditional Chinese lion dancer experienced IER’s boarding technology at the FTE Asia Exhibition Opening, where delegates, speakers and exhibitors gathered to share the industry’s latest concepts and initiatives among a diverse multitude of innovative air travel solutions.

Opening Keynote speakers Ng Chi Kee, Executive Director, Airport Operations at Hong Kong International Airport and Dragonair CEO Patrick Yeung described to a scintillated audience the reasons why Hong Kong’s hub airport and one of its leading home carriers are renowned for an exceptional passenger experience.

SITA’s President Asia Pacific Ilya Gutlin described how the passenger is taking control of their own journey at the Second Working Session, where China Eastern’s Kevin Cai explained how mobile integration is revolutionising airport operations for its workforce and its travellers. They were joined by Copenhagen Airport’s Steve Tarbuck and his discoveries about what passengers really want from their airport – revealing that 12% of passengers seek agent attention more than a quarter seek independence and choice. Meanwhile Emi Spanakis, Director Customer Experience of oneworld, gave an alliance’s perspective on the challenges airports face in developing a streamlined and simplification of the airport experience.

The open forum format of the conference sessions provided an interactive platform in which audience members could discuss their every concept and curiosity with the speakers on stage. Every presentation was translated for the many Chinese and English-speaking delegates, and intensive Q & A sessions were conducted in both English and Mandarin. Air China’s Manager of Simplifying the business in Ground Handling, Meng Yang, and Jian Shen, Shenzen Airport’s General Manager of Terminal Management, both delivered electrifying talks in their first language.

In introducing the Third Working Session Mike di George, ARINC’s Managing Director, explained that in just a few years the Asia Pacific region will grow to deliver 37% of the world’s passengers. Meng Yang from Air China, Manager of Incheon International Airport Corporation Sun Mi-Kyoung and Vienna International Airport Masterplan Coordinator Peter Mayerhofer enlightened the audience on the roles that automation and self-service will play in transporting them smoothly and efficiently.

The largest passenger experience exhibition in Asia with a fantastic array of equipment and solutions on display, providing as many inspirational ideas as the speakers did.

In the fourth working session Greg Fordham, Managing Director, Airbiz, Tarik Kiki, Ground Project Manager Jetstar, and Yuh Khee Long, Changi Airport Group’s Vice President Technology, opened eyes to the power of mobile, WiFi and services tailored to different passenger segment needs in developing the ultimate experience for the future’s me-centric passenger.

Adrian Harley General Manager Airport, Cathay Pacific Airways, opened a captivating Fifth Working Session with his address on the challenges infrastructure poses on adopting automated technology while still delivering ‘Service Straight From The Heart’. Andrew Wang of Japan Airlines and Stefan Rust, CEO of Exicon, followed with a jaw-dropping insight into the future of mobile technology in the passenger experience that demonstrated how travel apps and integrated NFC are changing the world of air travel as we know it.

To close the conference Nobutaka Knoyagi from ANA All Nippon Airways, Bart Houlleberghs of Type22 and KLM’s Victor Vaessen, highlighted the self-service, RFID, and home-printed tag solutions that are taking baggage drop, handling and processing to the next level.

For more hightlights see our #FTEAsia tweets below

Tweets about “#FTEAsia”