The aviation industry is undergoing some of the most transformational changes it has seen in many years. The opportunity at stake is enormous, from a major overhaul in airline technology standards that makes the airport and journey experience far more traveler-centric, to increased use of shared technology for better service recovery. The future airport experience promises to be far simpler and more personalised. As a frequent flyer it’s a future I welcome, but the benefits will be experienced by all travelers. Here are four changes we see shaping airline and airport operations in 2025 and beyond.
- Customers will arrive at the airport ‘ready to fly’
Airlines will be able to drastically improve the traveler experience and operational efficiency as travelers will be ‘ready-to-fly’ when they arrive at the airport. Traditional check-in and travel document checks e.g. visa checks at the terminal will no longer be needed, meaning travelers can drop their bag and move smoothly to security. This change will improve passenger processing speed, free space at the terminal and help to reduce costs for airlines.
In many parts of the world airlines will be able to retire traditional check-in if they choose. This can be achieved using a mix of continual engagement to understand the traveler’s intention to fly and new abilities to track the passenger’s location.
With no need to check-in, there will be far greater flexibility for airlines to design the airport experience they choose. For example, fixed desks could be phased out with roaming agents serving travelers from a tablet, empowered with access to each traveler’s unique context and entitlements. Alternatively, an airline may choose to prioritise self-service at the airport, or a mix between agent-led and self-service.
New technology means airlines will also be able to anticipate any visas required by the traveler in advance, ensuring travelers are prompted to organise the required documents before travel and that the passenger information is updated. Passengers can complete documentation digitally in advance, further simplifying the airport experience.
All of this is becoming possible thanks to underlying changes to airline technology and standards coming from the industry transformation to Order, Offer, Settle, Delivery (OOSD). This major overhaul of how airlines manage information provides greater flexibility by housing all information related to the passenger’s purchases in a single order, opening the door to improved and personalised service delivery at the airport.
- Airports will become retail hotspots
The move to an OOSD model based on modern standards, similar to those used by online retailers like Amazon also supports personalized retailing at the terminal. This has huge implications for airports, the airport experience and ultimately travelers.
The approach means that airlines will have greater context for traveler journeys, preferences and history, enabling the provision of personalized offers throughout each stage of the journey, including at the terminal.
Imagine arriving early for a flight and immediately being offered a discounted upgrade to business on an earlier flight through a push notification to your mobile. This type of personalised and responsive retailing is becoming possible thanks to the OOSD transformation.
For the first time, an airline will be able to fully harness its understanding of its passengers to better serve them at the airport and across the journey. While technical work to enable this future is already underway, it is being unlocked gradually.
For modern retailing to take flight, common obstacles from technology to organizational data and mindset must be overcome. Many airlines are in the early stages or have yet to embark on this journey.
- Airport operations will be managed collaboratively based on data
Today’s airports face an increasingly complex set of operational challenges. Interdependencies between ground transport and handling, terminal and airside operations, air traffic control and cargo operations create a unique set of intricacies that can stand in the way of smooth operations.
All of this is complicated further still by the workforce reduction many have experienced in recent years, as well as unexpected events such as bad weather or delayed aircraft, making the case for simplification and automation impossible to ignore.
Enter the Virtual Airports Operations Centre (APOC); an entirely new approach to managing airport operations collaboratively using common channels and shared data (without the need to relocate all service suppliers into an investment heavy common facility). This means better informed decisions, improved responsiveness and positive operational outcomes.
At a time when aviation operations teams are stretched and disruption is more common, we see the industry coming together around shared technology and automation.
- A risk-based approach to border checks will happen sooner in the passenger journey
Widespread use of biometric technology in air travel has long been at a tipping point. It promises to transform long-held airport rituals such as bag drop, security screening and boarding. When travelers opt to link their travel profile to verifiable digital credentials such as facial biometrics, they’ll no longer need to fumble around for documents or wait in slow moving queues.
We see this technology being supercharged by closer collaboration between the aviation-industry and government border forces. By providing crucial travel and passenger information sooner, workloads at the border will be greatly reduced.
Passengers that opt-in will be able to complete their visa applications or even the border check itself in advance, allowing a new screening process whereby passengers approach a kiosk and have their photo taken (which is then matched to a photo from the government database) before continuing their travel journey seconds later. Better connecting the border check to the air travel experience is one of the most effective ways to remove friction for all stakeholders.
Increasing passenger volumes, complex operational challenges and ever-increasing passenger expectations are driving the aviation technology sector to build, enhance, and innovate. At Amadeus, we are actively building the technology foundations that can help to deliver a stress-free, data-driven, connected, and personalised future airport experience.
I look forward to embarking on that airport journey. Let’s work together to unlock it.
Holger Mattig is SVP Product Management, Airport & Airline Operations at Amadeus
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