San Diego International Airport (SAN), the busiest single-runway airport in the United States, serves tens of millions of travellers each year. With this immense traffic, SAN faced a familiar but critical challenge: valuable operational and commercial data was siloed across multiple systems, limiting the airport’s ability to make truly data-driven decisions.
To overcome this, SAN partnered with Ariadne, the next-generation passenger analytics platform. By harnessing Ariadne’s real-time people flow insights, SAN has unified its data and unlocked new levels of efficiency, passenger satisfaction, and commercial growth.
Breaking down data silos
Before Ariadne, SAN had information on everything from arrivals and parking to concession sales and restroom usage. However, these systems did not communicate with one another. Ariadne’s platform changed this by anchoring all operational and passenger-experience metrics to each traveller’s unique, anonymised trajectory.
This holistic approach gave SAN unprecedented visibility into how passengers move throughout the airport from curb to gate without requiring additional network infrastructure or mobile apps.
Real-time solutions driving real impact
With Ariadne’s platform, SAN now benefits from:
- Operational efficiency: real-time monitoring of queue lengths at security checkpoints enables staff to act immediately when wait times surge, preventing bottlenecks and saving up to $4 per passenger in lost non-aeronautical revenue. Restroom cleaning is scheduled based on actual usage, reducing labour costs by up to 25% annually.
- Commercial growth: by correlating foot traffic with concession sales, Ariadne helped concessionaires increase revenue by 55%. Marketing teams can now measure campaign ROI precisely, with some promotions driving a 20% increase in foot traffic to targeted stores.
- Passenger experience: Ariadne powers intuitive wayfinding solutions like QR-based navigation and real-time ‘blue dot’ guidance, reducing travel anxiety and encouraging passengers to explore more shops and restaurants while waiting for their flights.
Results that matter
The measurable outcomes at SAN highlight the transformative impact of Ariadne’s solution:
- €4 million annual boost in non-aeronautical revenue.
- Queue times significantly reduced, improving passenger satisfaction.
- Restroom cleaning costs cut by up to $443,475 per year without sacrificing cleanliness.
- Data-driven insights influencing the design of SAN’s new Terminal 1, ensuring a future-proof airport layout.
- Shared insights with the City of San Diego to help optimise public transit routes.
Building the airport of the future
By connecting the dots across previously fragmented systems, Ariadne has enabled San Diego International Airport to become smarter, more efficient, and more passenger-centric. The collaboration demonstrates how data-driven intelligence can elevate not only the passenger experience but also operational resilience and commercial success.
With Ariadne, SAN is now positioned as a pioneer in airport innovation, ready to embrace the future with confidence from autonomous wheelchairs to augmented-reality guidance.
Ariadne is a Gold Sponsor and exhibitor at FTE Global – the “CES of Aviation” taking place in Long Beach, California, on 9 to 11 September 2025. Hear more from Ariadne in a key conference session focused on ‘Deep-dive digital transformation case studies’. Georgios Pipelidis, CEO, Ariadne, will deliver a presentation titled ‘From Queue to Clarity: How Ariadne Turns Passenger Movement into Action at Munich Airport & San Diego International Airport’. Also learn more about Ariadne in the Tech & Innovation Briefing focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) & Extended Reality (XR), which takes place in the FTE Global exhibition at 10:30-11:15 on 10 September 2025. Our popular Tech & Innovation Briefings on the exhibition floor allow attendees to join guided tours and meet exhibitors with relevant products, services and concepts to learn more about the subjects they are most interested in.
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