Seamless flow technology revitalises international airport’s passenger experience

Bristol Airport’s new flow management solution provides a seamless and detailed picture of how their passengers move through and use the airport.

The information gives the airport added value, unlocks new business opportunities and improves services.

In 2016, passenger numbers exceeded seven million for the first time in Bristol Airport´s history.

To help obtain an in-depth cohesive view of passengers’ movement patterns, guide daily and long-term operational and business decisions, and drive greater profitability and passenger satisfaction as this number continues to rise, the airport last year implemented an all-encompassing passenger flow measurement and analysis platform named BlipTrack.

The high-tech solution provides Bristol, which is one of the UK´s fastest growing airports, with a cohesive, wide-ranging view of passenger movements from carpark entrance to gate – and gate to carpark exit.

It presents the airport with a unique opportunity to get ahead of traffic and passenger flow issues before they happen, and to more effectively plan resources in and around the airport, as well as provide retailers in the concession areas with better information to help increase their revenue.

Paul Davies, Operations Director at Bristol Airport, says, “We wanted to introduce a state-of-the-art technical solution to the challenges airports face in improving customer flow management in the terminal.

“We had very high expectations prior to the introduction of the system, and I am very happy to say that the outcome has proved very successful. The system has capabilities of further enhancements, which will provide other long-term solutions in the future.”

The solution enables the airport to measure and identify flow patterns throughout the entire airport, it allows them to see the impact of the various actions they implement.

With improved operational efficiency and more streamlined check-in and security processes, passengers at Bristol Airport will not only enjoy a faster and more pleasant transit experience, but inevitably also spend more time in the concession areas, giving the airport’s retailers the opportunity to maximise non-aviation revenue.

Bristol Airport can retrieve both live and empirical metrics about queue wait times in its processes, and specific flow patterns, such as walking routes, entrance and exit usage, and time spent in specific areas, such as carpark, check-in, security, lounges, gates, immigration and more.

Patterns can be averaged over a day, week, month, a specific time of day, holidays, or a range of other metrics. Ultimately, this enhances the understanding of how disruptions or changes affect standard behaviour, and helps the airport to optimise their operations in areas of interest.