The June issue of Centerlines, the quarterly magazine of Airports Coucil International – North America (ACI-NA), features an especially intriguing article on one of the most groundbreaking trends in technology today: apps.
Yes, there is an app for airports; in fact, there are a number of competing apps that airports can utilize to their advantage. This thriving world is still brand new and no one knows where the possibilities will end. Right now, it is a veritable laboratory of innovative ideas that differ in function, intricacy, cost, and demands on airport IT and communications.
One of the fundamental options for an airport is simply creating a mobile website. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport created its own mobile site to guide passengers through its terminals. Its mobile website is programmed and scaled down to properly display on any smart-phone.
Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport have joined a growing network of airports on a new app, goHow Airport. Instead of building and maintaining their own app site, the airports entered into a partnership. The folks behind goHow Airport will be soliciting ads from vendors within each airport.
The “grand daddies” of airport apps, Airport Maps and GateGuru, have created their networks without the active involvement of the airports.
In this rapidly evolving world, GateGuru is now selling advertising, has arranged a marketing plan with JetBlue to reward frequent users and is incorporating elements of the app Foursquare.
Another airport app, Airside Express, is building its network by first striking deals with the airlines and an airport concession company. Next on the list are airports looking for an enhanced presence on its network.
Click here to read more about apps for airports. You can also catch this new trend near the beginning of the wave at the 2010 ACI-NA Communications and Marketing Conference in San Diego on June 8 to learn about the various routes airports are taking, how deals are being structured and the benefits for airports.
By Louis Serino