What Frequent Flyers want? A guide to Induce Soul in Modern Airports..

It has been found out in research that flyers are stressed most when they leave from their homes for airport, or when they’ve just landed at an airport to catch the connecting flight. Flyer stress is the minimum when he’s through all security checks and is waiting near boarding gate. So on an average, a flyer is stressed for about 160 out of 180 minutes, or for about 90% of the total time it takes to board the flight – from home to aircraft. Most of this stress comes from various factors including security, waiting in numerous lines, lack of sleep, tiredness, hunger, panic (of missing the flight) or just simple anxiety of the whole process. Airports, on their own part, can do a lot more than the current state in order to reduce traveller stress that is there for 90% of the total time, in order to make the flying experience more pleasant and generate revenues for the airport alongside.
As the case with any consumer facing business is, it would be righteous for airport managers to identify its consumers before providing them with right set of facilities.

Typically, an airport would have a mix of leisure/ vacation travellers and business travellers. Airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad would cater more to business travellers whereas airports like Cochin, Ludhiana, Varanasi etc. are expected to cater mostly to leisure travellers and tourists. We would now take a look at what basic facilities should an airport, irrespective of whether it caters to business travellers and leisure travellers or whether it is a low cost or a full service terminal, should offer. We would then analyse additional services based on segment requirements.

Any airport needs to address the key factors of stress mentioned above to make the airport more consumer-friendly. Like we say that the three most important criterions in retail are location, location and location; for airports it is simply information, information, information. The information can be provided in through various channels and by various stakeholders in the whole travel value chain. There is no point in upgrading the airport to the state of the art, feature and service rich airport if the information on the same is not available through correct channels. Let’s look from a traveller’s perspective as to what all actions he takes the moment he wakes up to boarding flight (180 minutes) and what all factors contribute to the stress.

The only time when airport does not have a real control over passengers’ stress are the 100 odd minutes of getting ready and travelling to airport. But can the Airport, combined with airlines, provide passengers with end to end flying experience? Let’s see what all airports can do to address the stress related with each and every action.

Apart from the above mentioned steps, airports should have round the clock medical care facilities, free water and clean toilets at both pre-security check and post security check. Keeping in mind today’s passengers, mobile and laptop charging points should be available aplenty throughout the airport, especially post security and not limited to specific areas. Free Wi-Fi is a must for today’s tech-savvy travellers. All the above mentioned facilities and services are to be accompanied by easy, intuitive and efficient airport layout, along with clear and well spread signage.

Airports catering primarily to business travellers should keep in mind specific needs of such a traveller. These may include business lounges providing a relaxed and quite atmosphere for a traveller to finish his pending work, have a drink or dine, take a quick shower or a short nap, away from maddening enthusiasm of fellow travellers. Similarly, airports catering to leisure travellers or tourist should provide for tourist related information and guidance to the travellers regarding places to visit, hotel bookings, medical care etc., and making arrangement for next travel destination. Needless to say, airport is the first window and the last gate that a tourist sees when he visits or departs from a destination.

An airport should not be viewed an airport but as a sum of various parts that help a traveller to catch his flight. When a traveller enters the airport, the airport should behave as a welcoming figure, not an imposing or impeding one and hence courteous staff and signage plays and important role, along with information availability. When a traveller is relatively relaxed after security check, the airport should behave as a one stop solution to pamper traveller as a guest till he boards. This would include diversified options in retail, F&B, entertainment, business, pleasure, relaxation centres, spas etc. The beautiful irony being, that only when the airport stops behaving like one in traditional sense, it provides passengers with pleasant travel experience.

Effect of security check on shopping behavior

Today while passing through the Mumbai domestic terminal, I noticed an interesting phenomenon. There was a long line before entering the terminal building as well as pressure on the security check line. Subsequently when I entered the retail area and the lounge, i found they are empty. Though the peak times for any lounge is between 5-7am and 6-8pm. But today i was at the peak time of business, but the lounge had just 2/3 people.

What could have been the reason?
It is in fact simple. Whenever there is pressure/traffic build up at the two high stress points in an airport, it will translate into dip in retail. Travellers would like to rush to the gates after a stressful check in. The last thing they would like to happen is to miss the flights. The reverse happens when the two critical stress points have less pressure.

If our airport operators must understand that sales is inversely proportional to the amount of stress which builds up in a traveller as he/she enters the building. If they look into this specific issues, it will be of great use.