There are fewer busier environments than an airport. For example, Heathrow Airport alone saw 80.1 million jetsetters passing through its terminals in 2018 and a daily average of over 219,000 passengers a day.
To improve the passenger experience, airports have countless lounges, shops, restaurants, and, in some cases gyms and spas. This is in addition to the standard airport security, check-in, and boarding locations. With all of these facilities, the amount of information that needs to be communicated is vast and varied. This challenge is compounded by the fact that communication needs to be clear, easily accessible and in different languages. Enter digital signage for airports.
Airport Communications Grounded by Traditional Methods
A main challenge for airports and airlines is getting information out to their passengers as fast as possible. Whether itโs an urgent safety notice, a gate change, or severe weather warnings, information needs to reach passengers quickly. Until recently, airports have had to rely on traditional communication methods such as whiteboards, posters, or even going around to each passenger! Considering some airports are even bigger than the city of Mumbai, this is no longer an effective option.
Through screens powered by cloud-based software, airports can update their screens with information in seconds. This information can be triggered by third-party devices. For example, if the wind speed reaches dangerous levels, content informing passengers of the changes in wind speed can be triggered to display on-screen immediately.
Digital signage for airports is the ultimate platform and the only one capable of meeting the needs of airport managers and their passengers.
Enhancing Flight Procedure and Security
For many passengers, checking in for their flight is a stressful part of their airport journey. Each airport and airline have varying procedures for boarding or luggage, and regulations are constantly changing for airport and passenger safety. In the 21st century, airport security has drastically increased. This has often led to an intimidating and confusing process.
Digital signage for airports can help remove the strain on airport staff, by clearly signposting this information to travellers. It can also help by advising on luggage requirements and coordinating security lines.
With information desk inquiries from passengers being answered through digital signage, airports can streamline communication, reduce workload and provide timely updates to enhance the overall passenger experience.
Digital Wayfinding for Airports
In most cases, average travellers only visit an airport once or twice a year, and when they do, itโs often to go to a foreign airport theyโve never visited. Efficient wayfinding is critical to help get these passengers to get from A to B with minimal stress. A passengerโs airport experience can be determined by how easily they can make it to the correct gate, making departures and arrivals more efficient.
Digital signage for airports offers a superior solution through digital wayfinding. Unlike static maps, digital screens can offer animated directions that more effectively map out routes. The introduction of touch-screen wayfinding kiosks is another possibility for air travel hubs. These kiosks allow travellers to search for directions to help them find their departure gate or find their next shopping destination. The digital wayfinding system will then serve up a route with tailored instructions showing the user exactly where they need to go.
Being able to easily navigate the airport can be a huge factor in a passenger having a good airport experience. In addition to this, passengers are self-sufficient and are less likely to need to ask other airport staff where they need to go. Not only does this enhance the passengerโs experience, but it also saves time for staff.
Multi-lingual Content and Advertising
The modern-day airport has started to resemble a giant shopping centre with restaurants, bars, shops, and other facilities such as gyms and spas. All these boutique and branded retailers need to advertise their products and services. The only difference is their customers are made up of an array of nationalities โ all speaking different languages. Digital signage for airports caters to this need in a manner that traditional signage cannot. Adverts and offers can be scrolled through in different languages or translated following interaction on a touch-screen. With so many household-name brands at an airport, airport owners will be spoiled for choice when it comes to selecting paying advertisers. The competition over footfall only escalates the value of advertising creating airports a significant potential income in sponsorship revenue.
Extending the Reach of Airport Social Media
Social media has quickly consumed and connected the planet with over 4.2 billion global users and airports are no exception. From small businesses to global corporations, all organisations are seeing the benefits of social media and are starting to make their mark.
One main goal of social media marketers is to increase their engagement and follower count on their social media channels. Achieving these goals is often done on the platforms themselves through social media marketing or outreach. However, organisations are looking for more ways outside the channels to attract new audiences, airports are no exception.
Social media on digital signage is providing airports with a new way to engage with customers and attract new followers. Digital displays can show live social media feeds that follow a specific hashtag or account. Other content can encourage users to post on their platform using a set hashtag to display their posts on the screen. For example, this could be encouraging passengers to share their holiday pictures under a certain hashtag. When a customer posts these, the screen will pull in the live posts. Not only is this increasing social media engagement, but itโs also showing other passengers the other great holidays made possible through your airport.
Boosting Staff Internal Communication for Airports
Airport staff can also benefit from having digital displays around them. Digital signage is a powerful tool for improving internal communication across various industries, and airports are no different.
Digital displays can be placed in break rooms or employee-access-only areas to display important updates, company messages, live data, or alerts. This helps improve airport operations by keeping employees more informed. For example, if the airport is planning to move the check-in desks, this information can be displayed on screens to inform staff of the changes.
Digital signage for airports is also a great way to motivate staff. A screen can be a digital dashboard, showing live metrics and targets. For example, if customer satisfaction score is important to your employees this can be displayed live, in real-time. If the score is too low, employees know they need to put in a little more effort, if itโs high, they need to keep on doing what they are doing.
How to Implement Airport Digital Signage
Whether you want to implement wayfinding solutions or make it easier for people to find information about their terminals, using digital signage is the ideal solution.
The question is, how do you go about implementing indoor and outdoor signs at your international airport? Here are a few tips:
Identify Your Use Case
Start by stepping into the shoes of your worldwide visitors. Identify what challenges they face and explore how you can make their travel experience easy with signage solutions. For instance, if visitors from all over the world have a tough time finding their baggage or terminal, providing navigation signs can help them travel through the facilityโs areas more efficiently.
Airport digital signage is incredibly versatile. However, itโs important to consider specific problems or use cases before investing in these systems.
Design the Right Screen Network
Design an effective screen network system based on the challenges that people in your facility are facing. Use the challenges identified in the last step as your guide to determine the right number of digital displays, based on the size of the airport. Use a variety of indoor and outdoor screens to provide travellers with guidance across the whole airport.
Determine Where to Place Your Signs
Sign placement is one of the most critical decisions youโll make. Itโs important to place them in high footfall traffic areas, to maximise their use and for travellers to truly benefit. Think baggage areas, terminals, around drop-off points, and any other locations where you want to provide navigation support.
Adopt Dynamic Technology
Choosing the right screens to use is only one part of the equation. You also need a dynamic content management system to manage and schedule content. Solutions like TrouDigitalโs studio make it easy for you to update your content to provide instant information about things like flight delays and gate changes. It also makes pre-scheduling content a breeze. For example, if specific stores close at specific times, screens can be pre-scheduled to display this information as soon as closing time hits.
Implement and Optimise
Now you are ready to go live. Gather feedback from customers to find out how your signage is making their experience better. Implement targeted changes to your content, such as any adjustments to font size and scroll speed, to revise and enhance the impact of your signage.
Ready to Learn More? Team Up With TrouDigital
TrouDigital creates custom signage solutions for clients in a wide range of industries, including aeronautics. We can design and implement a signage solution that perfectly aligns with the unique needs of your airport.
If you have any questions regarding digital signage for airports, speak to an expert today. Call our friendly team on 02380 981110 or Email info@troudigital.com for a no-obligation consultation. Alternatively, click the button below.
