Amadeus insight paper indicates cloud technology will transform the airport experience

Airports are increasingly identifying the need to switch to next-generation cloud systems in order to improve operational efficiencies in a challenging marketplace. The insight paper, IT makes sense to share: making the case for the cloud in Common Use airport technology, collects the viewpoints of over 20 senior IT leaders from the airport industry to investigate the business case for adopting cloud-based Common Use systems at airports. The objective of this insight paper is to open the debate with the airport community on the importance of cloud-based Common Use systems for the airport of the future.

A next-generation Common Use platform based on the cloud has the ability to revolutionise the way IT is provided at airports. Dedicated cloud providers can lower costs for airports thanks to economies of scale, amongst many other benefits that allow airports the flexibility to service their customers better.

So what kind of examples could this be applied to?

• Moving to the cloud allows for location flexibility

  with regard to reaching customers. If there is a network outage, weather disruption, or a terminal is unexpectedly unusable, airline employees can move to another location and check in passengers there. Location flexibility may also help in terms of moving passengers to avoid bottlenecks, thereby potentially reducing flight delays.

• The cloud allows for remote passenger processing: if airlines anticipate a one-time peak in customer numbers, such as for an event, or recognise many of their customers come from a particular hotel or rail location, airline employees can use 3G or 4G connections to check in passengers from there.
• Switching Common Use applications to the cloud means data is stored remotely and airports, airlines and ground handlers are free to focus on their business

  of serving travellers. For example, the space freed by removing servers can be used for other more useful business purposes. Additionally, the nature of the cloud means airports can collaborate to improve airport operations and the travel experience as a whole.

• By switching to the cloud, airports will see reduced costs

  for both hardware and IT maintenance. They will also be able to redeploy existing IT staff to manage new strategic IT programmes rather than infrastructure.

I invite you to read the press release and download a copy of the insight paper on the Airport IT LinkedIn page. You can also visit the Amadeus booth from 27-28 May at the ACI Asia Pacific World Annual General Assembly in Seoul, Korea for more information.