Travellers across Europe stand to benefit from a range of new and inventive projects, from a robot bag drop to a passenger-focused “innovation challenge”, as Ryan Ghee reports.
Geneva Airport trials first of its kind robot bag drop
Leo is a fully autonomous, self-propelling baggage robot that has the capacity to check in, print bag tags and transport up to two suitcases concurrently.
Passengers at Geneva Airport have been receiving help with their bags, thanks to a trial of a pioneering bag drop robot. The robot, called Leo and developed by SITA and BlueBotics, is being trialled at Terminal 1. It is a fully autonomous, self-propelling baggage robot that has the capacity to check-in, print bag tags and transport up to two suitcases with a maximum weight of 32kg. It also has an obstacle avoidance capability, enabling it to navigate in a high-traffic environment such as an airport.
Using robotics technology and artificial intelligence, bags are collected, checked in, transported and loaded onto the correct flight without ever having to enter the terminal building or be directly handled by anyone other than the passengers themselves.
Leo – named after the Italian Renaissance inventor and engineer Leonardo da Vinci who built what is now recognised as the world’s first robot – comes to the assistance of passengers as they approach the terminal building. Touching Leo’s bag drop interface opens the baggage compartment doors to allow passengers to place their bags inside. After the passengers have scanned their boarding passes, the tags are printed and can be attached to the bag. With the bags loaded and tagged, the compartment door closes and Leo displays the boarding gate and departure time. Leo then takes the bags directly to the baggage handling area where they are sorted and connected to the correct flight. The doors of the robot can only be re-opened by the operator unloading the baggage in the airport.
Massimo Gentile, Head of IT at Geneva Airport, said: “In a busy airport such as Geneva Airport, the use of a robot such as Leo limits the number of bags in the airport terminal, helping us accommodate a growing number of passengers without compromising the airport experience inside the terminal. Leo also proves the case for increased use of robotics to make passengers’ journey a little more comfortable, whether it is checking in baggage, providing directions or helping them through the security process.”
Heathrow’s new EntertainMe kiosks offer pre-flight movie downloads
The Heathrow EntertainMe kiosks will host a selection of free and paid content for Apple devices.
Travellers flying from Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 this summer will be able to download movies, magazines, newspapers and destination video guides to their iPhones or iPads using new media kiosks.
The Heathrow EntertainMe kiosks, located at gate level in each of the three Terminal 5 satellites during the initial trial period, will host a selection of free and paid content. SITA, which has developed the kiosk alongside Orange Business Services and Adaptive Channel, says downloads will only take around one minute each.
Passengers can simply select their content on an interactive screen and pay via ApplePay or with their contactless credit or debit card. Once they have downloaded the content, passengers can enjoy it during their trip without needing access to WiFi or data services.
Roberto Segala, Heathrow Airport’s Head of Commercial Services, said: “We are constantly looking to enhance the travel experience for passengers at Heathrow and these new EntertainMe kiosks designed by SITA will provide a unique entertainment solution for our customers.
“The initial trial will take place in Heathrow’s iconic Terminal 5, which serves more than 30 million passengers a year. We are very excited about this newest addition to Heathrow and look forward to seeing our customers’ reaction to this innovative product.”
Fraport invites travellers to inspire next wave of innovation
Fraport has launched the “Frankfurt Airport Innovation Challenge”, providing travellers with an opportunity to put forward their own creative ideas to help improve the passenger experience. The competition is based on the “open innovation” principle, which means Fraport is intentionally opening up its innovation processes to generate external ideas for innovations in a modified crowdsourcing approach.
“Innovation is key for our competitiveness and therefore anchored in Fraport’s corporate principles,” explained Claudia Uhe, Head of Fraport’s Corporate Development, Environment and Sustainability department.
“In keeping with our new slogan, “Gute Reise! We make it happen”, we are now actively looking for fresh ideas for Frankfurt Airport. We want to give passengers and visitors in particular the opportunity to actively co-create their airport as a place full of positive experiences.” Uhe will chair the jury, which will pick the winners of the Innovation Challenge.
According to Fraport, there are no limits on the creativity that participants can apply while helping to shape the airport of the future. Ideas can address either specific aspects of the airport experience – such as arrival, departure, transfers or visits – or the travel process as a whole. In addition to services and entertainment, environmental and sustainability issues will be considered.
€10m investment to create more passenger-friendly Dublin Airport T1
The €10 million investment includes the removal of desks currently situated near windows to allow more natural light to flood the terminal.
Dublin Airport has revealed plans for the €10 million redevelopment of the Terminal 1 Arrivals Hall and façade. The renovations include the removal of desks currently situated near windows to allow more natural light to flood the terminal, new flooring, a replacement ceiling and a facelift for the front of Terminal 1.
When the work is finished, all restaurants will be located in one area and services such as tourist information, onward travel and information desks will be grouped together to help create a more passenger-friendly and intuitive airport experience.
Also, screens currently positioned in front of the Arrivals Hall exit doors will be removed so that customers meeting and greeting friends and family will have an unobstructed view as they come through from the baggage hall.
Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison said: “We are upgrading Terminal 1 on a phased basis and we have already enhanced the Departures Floor. We are now turning our attention to the Arrivals Hall. Our goal is to greatly improve the overall look and feel for our customers. We are confident that, when completed, the renovations will significantly enhance the ambience in that area.”
Star Alliance announces major baggage and self-service standards investment
The new baggage and self-service standards will provide smoother service to the alliance’s customers and reduce infrastructure requirements and handling costs at the 1,300 airports Star Alliance serves today.
Star Alliance has announced that it will invest in multi-million euro technology projects to help improve and align back-end systems for its 28 member airlines. An Alliance IT hub for baggage will be created and is scheduled to enter operation by the end of 2016. “We believe modern technology can be of tremendous assistance in significantly reducing the number of baggage issues and providing faster and more accurate information for our customer service agents. As ever, our ultimate goal is to provide the best possible service to our travellers,” explained Mark Schwab, CEO Star Alliance.
The Chief Executive Board has also endorsed the development of standardised processes for off-airport and self-service check-in, for fast bag drop technology at airports, for baggage self-tagging and for automated travel document validation. These standards will not only provide smoother service to the alliance’s customers, but also reduce infrastructure requirements and handling costs at all of the 1,300 airports the alliance serves today. “This initiative represents another industry first and is created in full support of the IATA Fast Travel mandate,” Schwab said.
