Bologna, Italy | April 20, 2017– Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport is offering passengers new self-service convenience when checking in their baggage with the introduction of SITA’s Scan&Fly bag drop units. Passengers can now check in their own bags in less than a minute, resulting in fewer queues and a better passenger experience overall.

Bologna is the first Italian airport to install SITA’s Scan&Fly units. The new bag drop units will initially be used by low-cost carrier Ryanair before being extended to other airlines. Bologna Airport is a fast-growing hub for Ryanair with more than 20 destinations and 170 flights a week.

SITA is a global provider of award-winning bag drop solutions. Airlines and airports globally have welcomed the high-quality interface of Scan&Fly, the ease of its retro-fit and the ability to fully integrate with the SITA AirportConnect common-use platform.

Nazareno Ventola, CEO & MD of Aeroporto di Bologna, said: “Our passengers value the convenience of self-service technology from a customer experience point of view. From the airport’s perspective, Scan&Fly helps improve the passenger flow through the airport terminal, facilitating our rapid growth. The self-bag drop units are the latest in a series of options we have been developing recently, aimed at providing a smooth, effortless travel experience to all our passengers, with a direct benefit for our airlines’ operations.”

In 2016 Bologna Airport was the fastest-growing airport among Italy’s 15 busiest airports, with almost 7.7 million passengers. Over the last eight years, the airport has grown its passenger volumes twice as fast on average than Italy’s overall passenger growth.

Dave Bakker, SITA President, Europe, said: “An increasing number of airlines and airports globally are recognizing the benefits that self-bag drop can bring to passengers as well as their own operations. The ability to quickly and securely check-in your bag is just one of the ways we can help airports streamline the passenger process using self-service, from the moment they check-in to when they arrive at the destination.”

SITA has for more than a decade supported Bologna Airport with new technology. Earlier this year SITA introduced SITA’s iBorders® BorderAutomation ABCGates, providing passengers with a smooth, self-service experience through immigration.

• Rockwell Collins’ acquisition of Pulse.Aero expands the company’s strong passenger processing offerings beyond agent and self-service check-in to include new applications and services.

Annapolis, MD | January 4, 2017– Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) has acquired Pulse.Aero Limited, a UK-based company specializing in self-service bag drop solutions and airline applications, to enhance the company’s passenger processing services for airports and airlines. This acquisition further expands Rockwell Collins’ Information Management Services strategy to enable the connected aviation ecosystem.

“As passengers seek to take more control of their travel experience, this acquisition expands our portfolio of self-service passenger processing solutions, enabling us to streamline and simplify the passenger journey through a fully connected airport”
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“As passengers seek to take more control of their travel experience, this acquisition expands our portfolio of self-service passenger processing solutions, enabling us to streamline and simplify the passenger journey through a fully connected airport,” said Dave Nieuwsma, senior vice president, Information Management Services for Rockwell Collins.

Pulse.Aero’s products and services will be integrated into the Airport Systems portfolio of Rockwell Collins’ Information Management Services business.

The self-service bag drop market is experiencing significant growth due to the benefits it provides both airports and passengers. Airports can increase passenger throughput without capital expenditure on building and facilities, and passengers can move through the airport check-in process more quickly and efficiently.

Rockwell Collins and Pulse.Aero have worked together on several successful deployments, including Dublin Airport, where new self-bag drop units were installed, reducing queue times and improving customer service.

Watch a video to see how Rockwell Collins’ self-bag drop solution has impacted Aer Lingus’ operations at Dublin Airport: https://youtu.be/OG_4zANwLXo.

Adelaide | November 22, 2016– Adelaide Airport, Australia’s fastest-growing international airport, has selected SITA to provide smart new passenger and airport operational technology. The airport’s eight million passengers will enjoy new self-service bag drop and check-in kiosks, while SITA’s day of operations technology will ensure optimized airport operations.

SITA has provided technology to Adelaide Airport for more than ten years and the new five-year contract includes a move to common-use self-service (CUSS) which allows passengers to use self-service for any airline, at any check-in kiosk or bag drop point. In total SITA will provide 32 check-in kiosks and 14 bag drop units.

As part of the technology investment for the future, Adelaide Airport will use SITA’s AirportPulse. This day of operations technology includes a business intelligence portal which provides end-to-end visibility of what’s happening in the airport at strategic and operational levels. Data is pulled from all common-use infrastructure to analyze, report and benchmark passenger movements, providing a deep understanding of relevant activities and providing intelligent reporting to effectively manage the allocation of shared resources.

Vince Scanlon, Executive General Manager, Planning and Infrastructure, Adelaide Airport Ltd (AAL), said: “As the gateway to South Australia, we at Adelaide Airport want to deliver exceptional outcomes to our customers, partners, shareholders and community. SITA is providing us with world-class technology that will improve the experience at the airport. Passengers will enjoy efficient bag drop and check-in while the data collected will turn information into knowledge and allow us to focus on what matters for improved performance.”

The increased focus on using data to enhance operations will allow Adelaide Airport to be proactive and predict and identify imminent adverse conditions before they happen. AirportPulse makes sense of data to drive operational efficiencies and improve customer experience.

Ilya Gutlin, SITA President, Asia Pacific, said: “SITA has been Adelaide Airport’s technology partner for over a decade and during that time we have worked with the team to contribute to its growth and success. Over the coming years we will continue to seamlessly transition Adelaide to the latest innovative technology that supports the vision of Adelaide Airport becoming a top tier business center in the Asia Paci­fic region.”

Adelaide Airport’s annual passenger numbers are rising and it forecasts more than 18 million passengers by 2034. This growth comes with the investment in the Adelaide Airport Business District. This development is set to transform the airport into a full-fledged business district acting as the business gateway between the world and South Australia.

• First “touchless” bag drop already significantly reducing passenger check-in times

Annapolis, MD | July 20, 2016– Rockwell Collins, working in conjunction with Pulse.aero, has recently deployed two major self-service bag drop zones in Terminals One and Two at Dublin Airport through an agreement with daa. The multimillion dollar project streamlines and simplifies the baggage check-in process.

The new systems are already having a significant impact including increased check-in capacity and shorter lines. Comparing statistics from this year’s June bank holiday weekend to 2015, the use of the kiosks has reduced check-in times considerably.

Terminal One, home to Ryanair, now has 15 self-service bag drop units. The units use a one-step approach, allowing passengers who have checked in online to take their bags directly to a bag drop unit where they can print and tag their luggage. The bag is then dispatched straight into the baggage system.

In Terminal Two, the airport now has 32 self-service kiosks and 12 bag drop units in the Aer Lingus check-in area. The bag drop units in Terminal Two are the world’s first touchless bag drops, employing a two-step approach. Passengers first use their reference number to print a boarding card and/or weigh their bag and print a tag. Once tagged, the luggage is taken to the self-service kiosk and the bag is automatically dispatched.

“Touchless bag drop means that passengers can drop their bag at a self-service machine that requires only minor user interaction, eliminating many of the steps they have to deal with today,” said Liz Walshe, project manager at daa. “This solution from Rockwell Collins and Pulse.aero is providing passengers with the services they need to make their travel as easy and seamless as possible. Beyond providing a better check-in experience, the solution is reducing costs by enabling us to use our existing infrastructure to check in more passengers.”

“Different airlines often have different passenger processing models, which means that there isn’t a ‘one-size fits all’ solution for baggage handling,” said Chris Forrest, vice president of Airport Systems for Rockwell Collins. “This, combined with the requirement to work with the existing infrastructure and systems at the Dublin Airport, enabled us to create the right approach for each terminal—and it’s having a real impact on daa’s passengers’ travel experience.”

The self-service solutions will be expanded to additional airlines in the near future and more features, such as baggage payment, will be added over the summer.

• Airline passengers want to use technology more often throughout their journey

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | January 11, 2016– Airline passengers in Brazil are happy to use technology throughout their journey and are moving in big numbers to use self-service on their smart phones, personal computers and at kiosks. These are the results of a survey released today by global air transport IT provider, SITA.

The SITA Passenger IT Trends Survey 2015 was carried out at eight international airports in Brazil that together manage 62% of all the country’s passenger traffic. It reports that Brazil’s passengers are very positive about using self-service technology.

When it comes to checking in for flights, 80% of passengers in Brazil are positive about web check-in and 76% about self-service kiosks. This compares to only 65% of passengers being positive about checking in at a desk.

At the moment, more than half of the passengers surveyed checked in at a desk, which is higher than the global average of 43%, but looking ahead the trend is dramatically moving away from this. In fact, when asked which technology they would use for their next flight, face-to-face check-in was only picked by 28% with a strong move to using personal computers (35%) and mobile devices (24%).

Elbson Quadros, SITA Senior Sales Director, Brazil, said: “Rising passenger numbers can put a strain on services at the airport but by using technology such as web and mobile check-in airlines and airports can reduce the pressure. Here in Brazil it is encouraging to see that passengers are happy to use self-service and in fact, would like more. Airlines and airports can be confident that focusing on self-service technology, especially mobile services will make passengers happier.”

Though nearly three quarters of Brazilian passengers (72%) feel positive throughout the travel experience, this is lower than the global average of 80%. It demonstrates passengers’ desire for new services which take advantage of mobile and web technologies. Passengers here are connected, 83% carry smartphones – higher than the 23% ownership rate across the general population[1] – and they want to use them when travelling.

Some new services have real appeal in Brazil: 83% of passengers would definitely use flight updates to their mobiles, while 72% want updates on their baggage collection. This is a clear opportunity for airlines and airports in Brazil to improve the passenger experience by providing information that the passengers want sent directly to their mobile phones.

The survey also shows that more passengers check-in bags at airports in Brazil than in other parts of the world. Here again they have a desire to use self-service. Currently 17% of passengers use self bag drop services but this is set to grow to 35% over the next year.

The passengers surveyed were happiest during dwell time at the airport, the time between clearing security and boarding the flight. There was a peak of 93% positive emotions at this stage of the journey with 84% valuing entertainment and 83% eating and drinking, considerably higher than global averages. These statistics are encouraging for those airports in Brazil that have focused on the concessionary model and are providing high-quality entertainment and food and beverage services to their passengers at this point of the journey.

• 100% of China’s major airports now provide check-in kiosks – self-service for baggage is next

Beijing | November 19, 2015– China’s airports are using self-service and other leading technologies to manage increasing passenger numbers which rose by 11% in 2014 and continue to rise. This is according to the 2015 SITA/ACI Airport IT Trends Survey. It reports that 100% of the airports surveyed now provide self-service check-in kiosks. By 2018, 77% will offer kiosks for self bag tagging and 68% will offer unassisted self-service bag drop and boarding. This indicates a strong progression to an end-to-end self-service passenger experience in China.

The research results represent the views of major airports in China which together serve more than 60% of all Chinese airline passengers. In this year’s survey, 77% of Chinese airports rated passenger processing their number one priority, up from 53% last year. This demonstrates a greater emphasis on improving the traveling experience for passengers at the airport than seen previously.

May Zhou, Vice President, SITA China said: “Rising passenger numbers continue to present a challenge to China’s airports in terms of infrastructure and resources. There is of course much construction and expansion underway but it will take some time to match the growth in traffic. Meanwhile, technologies such as self-service, mobile and business intelligence can improve the passenger experience today.

“These technologies can help airports provide faster check-in, real-time updates, reduced queues and faster aircraft turnarounds. All of the airports surveyed expect IT budget increases in 2016 which indicates that passengers in China will enjoy the benefits of investments in smart technology for smarter airports over the coming years.”

Having a smarter airport means that operators must collect and use data to make better decisions. A majority of leading airports in China expect to put in place business intelligence initiatives over the next three years, particularly in areas such as passenger flow monitoring (82%) and airport operations (72%). This focus mostly around passenger flow once again shows the priority that airports in China are putting on passengers.

Improving the allocation of resources by tracking vehicles and other mobile assets around the airport is also set to become standard operational practice over the next three years and 90% of leading airports will have introduced this by the end of 2018.

A key area of investment by the airports is in mobile services for passengers. Flight status notifications via mobile are already provided by the majority of airports (77%) and 95% plan to offer them by the end of 2018. By then, two-thirds of airports (66%) also plan to introduce stress-reducing features, such as way finding and queue wait times.

Airports are also embracing social media and already 67% of China’s major airports provide flight status notifications to passengers in this way. This is well ahead of the global average (33%) and is expected to increase to 95% over the next three years. When disruption or flight delays occur these airports are also using social media to communicate with passengers. It is the number one communication service implemented today and by 2018 will be in place at 95% of the airports surveyed.

• SITA survey shows up to 90% of US air travelers experience positive emotions when using self-service

Las Vegas, Nevada | September 9, 2015– New research from IT provider SITA shows the majority (58%) of US air travelers are “careful planners” who double check their travel documents and turn up at the airport early. These passengers are happy to use technology for planning and throughout the journey. Nevertheless, they like to carry printed documents and welcome interaction with airline agents to confirm everything is on track and going to plan.

SITA’s survey was based on 1,411 passengers traveling through 46 international airports across the US, which in total represent 75% of US passenger traffic. It also included interviews and observations of passengers at US airports to assess their emotions and how they use technology. The analysis showed four different personas or types of travelers:

• Careful Planner
• Independent and hyper-connected
• Pampered
• Open-minded adventurer

Most US passengers (58%) perceived themselves as a ‘careful planner’. The remaining were fairly equally divided between the other three personas, although slightly more saw themselves as ‘Independent and Hyper-Connected’ travelers (18%) who like efficiency when they travel. Thirteen per cent identified themselves as ‘Pampered’ travelers who are willing to pay extra for the services that will enhance their journey, while 12% thought of themselves as an ‘Open-minded Adventurer’ – excited by the prospect of their journey. US passengers are happy; 80% exhibited positive emotions throughout the journey with high peaks when they used online check-in (90%) and self-service check-in (89%).

Paul Houghton, SITA President, Americas, said: “This year in the SITA Passenger IT Trends Survey, we have taken a close look at the different types of passengers and their emotions to get a good picture of passenger behaviors throughout the journey. US passengers have a very positive experience when they use technology for travel tasks and are ahead of the rest of the world in rates of adoption for self-service booking and check-in.

“The results reveal opportunities for airlines and airports in the US to further improve customer satisfaction. Passengers want to use technology more – in particular their mobiles – to get up-to-date information on such things as flight status and baggage collection. Providing these updates should particularly appeal to the expectations of the careful planners and help to make the US passenger even happier.”

The survey showed that US passengers had higher levels of positive emotion when they used self-service technology options. In total 90% of passengers rated online check-in as a positive experience, compared to 82% of passengers using an airport counter. Checking in for a flight on a mobile or kiosk was also a hugely positive experience, with ratings of 89% and 83% respectively.

Not surprisingly, the highest number of respondents in the US showed positive emotions when they are able to relax, so dwell time before boarding and onboard the aircraft received strongly positive ratings of 95% and 90% of passengers, respectively.

Dragging down the feel-good factor is ongoing frustration with security and, to a lesser extent, passport formalities. In fact, 43% of US passengers had negative emotions at the security stage and 29% at passport control. Both figures were higher than the global average of 36% and 25%, respectively. These results demonstrate the opportunity to introduce more self-service technology to improve passenger satisfaction at these points of the journey. For example, some US airports and airlines are already enjoying the benefits of automated passport control (APC) kiosks which use sophisticated biometrics to speed passengers through the immigration and customs procedures on arrival in the US.

Mobile is the future as more US passengers expect to use their mobile devices for travel-related services. The survey shows that 19% intend to use mobile check-in for their next flight, compared to 13% who used it for their last, a growth of more than 40%. Booking flights with a mobile is also projected to increase, growing from 29% of passengers today to 38% within a year.

*Further details on SITA’s research into the US air passenger can be found here: http://www.sita.aero/resources/type/surveys-reports