How do you engage your passenger? How do you know what they experience? Do you operate with a focus on the passenger experience, or simply to complete tasks, fill orders and turn transactions? Are your passengers delighted EVERY step of the way?

As service providers in the airport environment, we need to know and serve our customers well.  Travelers through our airports take a far different journey before and after they engage with us than they would in a standard retail or food and beverage environment.  That is why it is so important to understand and empathize with their journey.

Travelers_Journey

Where are you located on this journey?

Are you making the most of the time the passenger spends at your journey point?

Check out our Airport Traveler's Journey points below, and explore it them your team to better empathize with your customer.  Then decide how you can best serve traveler's at your point on their journey. 

Traveler’s Journey:

  1. Make Travel arrangements
  2. Pack & Print boarding pass before leaving Home
  3. Travel to airport
  4. Parking
  5. Check in
  6. TSA security
  7. Travel to gate
  8. Waiting in gate area
  9. “Golden Hour” – Eat, drink, read & be merry!
  10. Board the Plane

Most concessions operators have the opportunity to take advange of #9, the "Golden Hour" by:

  1.  Knowing what the customer wants
  2.  Anticipating what the customer needs
  3.  Identifying customer patterns
  4.  Serving them well

Often times we only think about what is happening in our world.  But to better service our customers, we need to understand what is happening in their world: How did they get here? What do they want here and where are they going next? 

For more information on the passenger experience, check out these resources:

Airport Retail Consulting Helps Navigate Airport Challenges

Airport Concession Service: More than Meets the Eye!

And, to measure the passenger experience in your airport, begin with our Sample Airport Mystery Shop Form- complete with instructions on how to get started!