One of the driving forces behind our success at Lufthansa is a dedication to providing choice and high service levels to all passengers. Amadeus’ modern cloud-based passenger processing technology has become a cornerstone of our operations, helping our teams overcome significant challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Repatriating travelers during COVID-19
During the height of the pandemic, we were tasked with returning German nationals from a wide array of destinations on repatriation flights. Take the example of Barbados, where multiple 747s were brought in to provide repatriation flights for cruise passengers and holiday makers. In order to manage this huge spike in demand, we set up pop-up kiosks at cruise terminals to check in passengers as they disembarked from ships and headed to the airport. These same units could then be moved from the port to the airport to service other travelers waiting to be evacuated back to Germany.
Off-airport check-in also proved crucial for our staff in the Dominican Republic. Supervisors at La Romana and Punta Cana airports were able to take hardware devices to hotels in order to prepare passengers for their flights home.
Due to the nature of the pandemic, we also had to fly to new locations, and this meant we had no dedicated infrastructure, or staff, on the ground. Yet, our team was able to fly portable check-in kits where they were needed, with just a few hours’ notice. Once on site, they just needed an internet connection to begin handling passengers.
Once again, the agility and versatility ofAmadeus ACUS Mobileproved key to overcoming disruption scenario s and I’m not sure how we would have handled such an extreme surge in demand in the Caribbean without this technology.
Yet, this capability is also valuable beyond a crisis. Not only do our ground teams prize the accessibility and flexibility of the cloud, it also benefits the pursuit of new business opportunities. During normal operations, ‘anywhere’ check-in services enable us to open new routes far more quickly.
Rapidly optimizing the route network
For much of 2020, we were only able to operate 25-30% of our usual flights. While we are much closer to full operation today, ACUS Mobile has been pivotal in optimizing our network.
With multiple airlines chasing business as restrictions ease and destinations reopen, competition has been fierce. The situation is also fluid – we don’t always know which destinations will work out. Even if they are popular, new restrictions could be introduced.
Thanks to Amadeus’ solution we have been able to establish ourselves at these destinations faster than our rivals. And, after successful trials, which included an ACUS Mobile unit being flown from Vienna to Poland at short notice, we have expanded to 50 units across the entire network. In the future, these units are sure to play an increasing role in our operations.
Optimizing services
Another great example of keeping services running during IT disruption scenarios is Munich airport. One of our key requirements in Germany was the need to establish effective document checking services for travelers to the US and India. The comprehensive checking process can have a knock-on effect on overall passenger processing times and meant that we needed a way to handle the process away from the primary check-in desks.
Initially, we trialed a solution which didn’t have the capability to automatically update our passenger processing systems. Amadeus ACUS Mobile was chosen for its ability to update the systems automatically, which also meant an end to manual updates. What’s more, it removed the risk of delays due to agents working with outdated applications.
After putting an end to the manual process with ACUS Mobile, the effect on ground operations was immediate. Agents quickly came to rely on the new solution, and our customer service returned to its usual high levels.
Restoring operations in remote regions
Cloud based technology has also proved crucial when restoring services, and Nigeria is a great example of this. There, our operations were placed at risk when a commercial matter between an airport and its IT supplier meant that the passenger processing system was switched off at short notice. Our airport IT team were able to send an off-duty pilot with four ACUS Mobile units from Munich to our two sites in Nigeria – almost like a flying doctor. Within a couple of days, we were operational again and with 10 units currently in place, we’ve been able to continue operations unabated at our hubs in Lagos and Abuja.
Overall, the flexibility of the cloud in the complex airport environment is key. In some of our markets we don’t have established IT infrastructure, and Amadeus ACUS Mobile has been a game changer there. In other locations, schedules can frequently change and, over the past year, dynamic issues such as COVID-19 have been in play. In all of these scenarios Amadeus’ cloud-based system has been a pillar of stability, helping us serve our customers flexibility even as the situation around us shifted.
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