Mobile applications in the aviation industry

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In recent times, it’s evident how mobile applications related to air transport have multiplied, and have promoted major changes in the aviation industry. From the improvement of internal processes to cope with any kind of operational disruption, as happened during the pandemic, to those focused on customer satisfaction by transforming the way they travel.

We live in an interconnected world and there is a clear need to have as much information and services as possible on our mobile devices. Thanks to this, more and more airlines and airports are focusing their efforts on developing technology that allows them to be at the forefront of the needs while helping to reduce costs, optimize revenues, improve labor productivity, and above all innovate while making life easier for their passengers.

The use of this type of technology can also become a differentiating branding tool.  Now that many airlines are seeking to build customer loyalty through attractive benefits that play an important role in passengers’ decision to travel.

Now, let’s take a look at the latest technologies that have been used in the airline industry and are being tested around the world. 

For example, contactless self-check-in and baggage handling technology are being tested in many airports, as well as mobile applications that allow airlines to scan travelers’ passports and visas at different checkpoints, thus speeding up long waiting lines and reducing waiting times, which is a huge benefit for passengers.

On the other hand, airlines are looking for ways to integrate into their mobile applications options that allow passengers to manage their services without the need for a cabin crew member anywhere in the travel chain and especially without contact. So if a passenger wants to use the entertainment systems of the aircraft, he can do it just by scanning a QR code from his mobile device and thus choose what he wants to see while interacting with the crew to buy products or services such as food or duty-free items. 

These types of technology platforms not only serve to meet the needs of passengers, but also provide airlines and airports with the opportunity to understand passenger behavior and purchasing patterns. This allows companies to segment the market and personalize their offers.

Similarly, facial recognition technology continues to make inroads in the industry, and biometric identification options are expected to become common in the coming year, as their benefits are not only focused on passengers but also help to reduce costs, optimize resources, and speed up boarding times. 

Even now, facial recognition payment technologies and contactless fingerprint scanning are being tested. 

 Similarly, another area that is being impacted by mobile technology platforms is the administrative sector of the airline industry where they are beginning to implement port management systems that allow airports to manage data in real-time with cloud support. That helps the organizations involved to be more efficient in managing information, concessions, contracts, billing, and payment of services. 

Today there are many development companies specialized in the aviation industry that continually offer solutions that improve processes, encouraging a market that has been greatly affected in recent years by the pandemic of COVID-19 as is GP Nautical. who have focused their efforts on creating innovative technology platforms for the aviation sector that allows any port to have a management system of the last generation with minimal investment.

 

Next-generation platforms for airport operators

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The emerging technologies developed for the next generation are designed to transform the way users travel, which will also impact the way things are done today.

 

We are seeing more and more airports creating mobile applications and making their processes more flexible to incorporate technology platforms to support their staff. Facilitating their work and also providing the security required by an industry such as aviation, and thanks to this, today we can enjoy mobile check-in stations, self-check-in machines, self-service baggage handling, and even mobile stations with tablet or smartphone devices that allow airlines or airports to manage all trips.

 

The implementation of this type of technology is not only destined to transform the way people travel. Also becomes an opportunity to break down airport infrastructure barriers and even resource or personnel limitations, giving airports the possibility to move forward without incurring large budgetary investments in remodeling and time. 

 

Now that passenger volumes have been increasing considerably and airlines or airports do not have enough staff to cope with the demand. These technological platforms have become a great ally for airport operators that also helps to increase passenger satisfaction by providing a safe, fast and agile service that makes their trip a pleasant experience.

 

The inclusion of this type of tool for airport operators does not entail a major problem, since they are easy to use for their staff, and instead of causing a more cumbersome process, it generates the opportunity to have passenger, baggage, and check-in information in real-time with cloud support, which allows them to have greater control over the information, with minimal errors.

 

Airport management systems, as they are generally known, can cover many areas, the most common are those corresponding to internal administration, in terms of concessions, billing, and contracts, but now we can enjoy more robust software that offers the possibility of managing suppliers such as aviation fuel, passengers, luggage and even FBO’s that until now were seen as external entities.

 

The use of biometrics in the aeronautical sector

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The future is already here and thanks to the technological advances we are living today, we can use biometrics as a control and access system. Analyzing our facial features or body measurements that make each person a unique human being with specific characteristics.

But what does this process consist of? 

To identify a subject, all that is needed is to compare an incoming image with an image in the database. However, in the aeronautical field, this is a process that must be carried out in real-time and supported by software and a database that provides sufficient security to airport facilities.

 

For this reason, airports that have already implemented technologies like this support it with government databases that support their security personnel while streamlining their passenger check-in processes.

 

Using a passenger access control system with biometrics brings many advantages to the aviation industry, such as speeding up the entry process, making it faster and more efficient, and reducing the probability of identity fraud, since the system will identify the passenger’s features by comparing them with certified databases. 

 

Software without human manipulation, this type of technology and devices used to provide access cannot be manipulated, so the information handled here is secure and reliable. And last but not least hygiene, as the type of devices used for biometric identification or facial recognition, does not require any kind of contact, so it is ideal in these times of pandemic.

 

According to Annet Steenbergen, chair of the passenger facilitation working group at IATA, “The use of the human body as an authentication system will be the salvation to speed up the movement of people in air terminals”. Especially when it is expected that by 2037, more than 8 million passengers will be using airplanes for their transfers, more than twice as many as today.

 

Identification solutions using biometrics or facial recognition not only eliminate manual processes, offer a more satisfactory service for passengers, and reduce their waiting times at the airport but also help airlines and air terminals to comply with government and border agency regulations.

 

So far, the main use of facial recognition technology has been in the check-in areas of airports. However, within the same air terminals, it can also be used to provide privileged access to VIP lounges for frequent travelers, access to restricted areas for airport workers, or to offer specific premium services for those passengers who wish to pay for a more pleasant trip. 

 

At the moment, the implementation of facial recognition in the aviation industry is in its early stages, but we are sure that it will revolutionize the sector and replace many processes that are not so friendly so far.

 

Technological development in seaports

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The growth of seaports is imminent, every day ports face new challenges that invite them to reinforce their infrastructures and look for new mechanisms and innovate old systems. 

With the consolidation of maritime trade, new transport routes have been opened, an increased number of containers, and new ports that require the optimization of processes amid an ecosystem full of competencies that seeks to minimize human error and sustainability over time.

With this, it is expected that in the medium term, seaports will have to implement certain automation to maintain their sustainability, effectiveness, and efficiency over time. 

Likewise, several of the components of the port sector are already working to implement the automation of maritime containers, autonomous ships, intelligent port warehouses, and more. These are just some of the technological innovations that are expected in the coming years.

Now, all the challenges are positive, and the demand for automation in the processes will help to generate greater safety and efficiency within each of the processes. This involves not only an investment in structure but also in intelligent resources, training and cybersecurity software to safeguard data. 

Less paper and more digitalization 

The changes at the port level will be progressive and adapted to the needs of each seaport. However, the administrative part also deserves digitization to boost the development of a port and thus ensure the optimization of each of the maritime operations. 

That is why, GP Nauticals has developed NAUTIC AIMS, designed to unify maritime and land operations, in a software that manages port revenues, through technologies that allow to collect and analyze information that will also help to measure the performance of ports. 

This SUITE product can also be integrated with PAY AIMS, the software that allows you to manage the payment and collection of invoices through innovative systems that adapt to the needs of each organization. 

 

If you want to keep reading about the latest developments in automation in the port and aeronautical sector, keep browsing our blog. 

 

Airport planning and development

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The preparation of a strategic plan to improve and develop airport facilities involves a lot of variants, such as the levels of airport demand and traffic or safety, which is undoubtedly one of the most predominant issues, or the number of rules and regulations that these entities must follow.

 

The design of this planning should focus on generating a balance between the airside installations and the terminals or ground services. So, involving each affected group is vital for the success of the planning.

 

An airport installation is not only based on the landing or take-off of aircraft or the boarding or landing of passengers. We also consider each supplier and service provider, such as refueling, maintenance, and services of installations or aircraft, cargo transportation services, and even parking for aircraft that are not in service.

 

For this reason, it is important to make a strategic plan for the development of these facilities. Such as an evaluation of environmental issues, design, financing, legal terms, and political decisions that may affect the development of the airport.

 

In addition, one of the first actions to implement in a development plan correctly is to optimize as much as possible the existing facilities in terms of operations, processes, and technology. Especially those areas that will be in charge of receiving all the traffic derived from the terminals or areas in expansion.

 

For this reason, one of the main recommendations is that airport installations should have an administrative management system that, thanks to automation, collection, and management of information in real-time, allows for an optimization of resources and secure and efficient handling of data.

 

Nowadays, software exists in a specialized way for the aeronautical sector that allows managing a digital transformation process in the industry without major inconveniences or very high investment values. 

 

For example, software such as GP Nauticals’ AIMS Suite can handle administrative, and financial tasks of port facilities, generate bills and manage payments, digitalize services such as fuel dispatch or perform a detailed control of passengers, according to each one of its products. 

 

All of this with support in the cloud and analytics available in real-time that can assist in more assertive decision making.

 

Data processing in airport environments

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All airport facilities handle a vast amount of data and countless variables that become a daily challenge for the management and optimization of resources, allowing them to continuously improve their services and find new market niches that would otherwise take years to discover.

 

The use of innovative technologies supported by big data has helped these huge facilities such as airports not only to understand passenger behavior. Also to compile and evaluate data in real-time that would otherwise take months or even years to obtain results or get a pattern.

 

This type of software is enriched by passenger information as well as data from flights, airlines, schedules, suppliers, and all those entities directly or indirectly involved in port functions. 

 

The analysis of these data allows us to determine which are the areas with the highest traffic and, from there, to make more resources available or redirect passenger traffic to other points of interest to get the most out of the facilities.

 

On the other hand, there is a large amount of information that must be processed in this type of facility, which is not explicit and is an essential part of airport management, such as billing, concessionaires, contracting, and suppliers.

 

With the automation and management of big data in this area, manual work is greatly facilitated, minimizing transcription errors and generating real-time reports that considerably shorten decision making, as well as reducing return times and increasing profits.

 

For this, it is important to think about implementing specialized tools that cover in detail each area of the port and also have support in the cloud, as well as a friendly platform that is easy to use for each user. In this way, there will be a simple technology transfer that employees and users in general, make the most of this software.

 

One of the companies that specialize in the development and implementation of this type of solution for the airport sector is the American company GP Nauticals. With its Suite of products AIMS, seeks to maximize the aviation industry by leveraging on technological tools easily accessible, with minimal investment amounts and that can pay off in a short term.

 

If you want to learn more about their software you can visit their website www.gpnauticals.com or contact a specialist.

 

Airport recovery in America

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In the middle of the worldwide vacation season, the airport industry in Latin America is looking forward to the growth of airport traffic and the opening of new routes, after a turbulent few years. 

Airports in Central and Latin America such as El Dorado in Colombia, Tocumen Airport in Panama, and airports in Mexico (Cancun, Tijuana, and Los Cabos) are participating in a recovery that increases rapidly during the summer season. 

In addition, airports such as Bariloche Airport in Argentina are also recovering concerning 2019, with rates that exceed the pre-pandemic period. 

The recovery has been 85% in relation to 2019, this is undoubtedly the right time to be able to recover one hundred percent of airport operations, especially during the holiday season. 

As we mentioned in our previous article, the high traffic demand at airports worldwide has generated some chaos, cancellations, lost luggage, long queues, and delays. 

 

And now the big question is, are airports in America prepared in terms of infrastructure?

With the increase in flights and traffic, the facilities are becoming small and outdated. Two years ago, the deterioration of the infrastructure was already visible, so it became a new challenge to improve and update the functionality of airports. 

Some airports, such as Bariloche and El Dorado, are already showing updates in their infrastructure and technological development. Others are already operating to make the necessary improvements. 

That is why, to face the new challenges GP Nauticals presents high-quality technological solutions, which provide specific results in real-time, to make financial and operational decisions optimally. 

This software can be integrated to offer optimal service and manage in the best way the administrative development of an airport, concessions, and airlines. 

Software such as PAX AIMS is ideal for the development and control of passenger traffic through any port facility, using checkpoints to validate the number of passengers entering the airport and generate accurate billing. 

It can also be integrated with other AIMS SUITE products such as AERO AIMS and PAY AIMS, to improve the billing and collection process, through data management and easy-to-use applications. 

 

If you want to know more about our products click HERE. 

 

​​New opportunities for the aeronautical sector

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The Covid-19 pandemic caused the worst crisis ever known for the aviation sector. With government restrictions forcing many airlines and airports to reduce many of their staff and cancel thousands of daily flights, which has negatively impacted not only the quality of service provided to passengers but even the image of one of the most important industries for the global economy.

 

Now, we could say that we are in a post-pandemic era and airport activity has been recovering almost to the level of two years ago. We are plunged into a chaos of flight cancellations, long lines, and delays, and now the most important airports have many limitations in takeoffs and landings due to a lack of qualified personnel and high traffic volumes.

 

This personnel crisis particularly affects passenger control of aircraft handling, including flight attendants and at this point, we could ask ourselves, if the sector has already recovered, what are they waiting for to hire more staff? Well, the answer is more than simple, first of all, airlines and airports are not offering very attractive conditions, and secondly, hiring security-related personnel requires a very specific profile, and preparing them for these vacancies can even take more than 6 months.

 

So how can the current crisis in the aviation industry be alleviated? 

 

Many of these cases could be significantly improved with a restructuring of their resources. Still, the reactivation practically all at once did not allow many to prepare in advance and foresee this situation.

 

However, the implementation of innovative technologies that allow them to perform specific actions and at the same time provide them with the necessary security required by this sector could be essential and we must evaluate whether it is really necessary to hire more staff or whether to invest in technologies that support these more specific areas and help reduce the time of this specialized personnel. 

 

For these areas, software such as Pax AIMS is available, which allows airlines and airports to keep track and control passengers at any port facility, deploying fixed or mobile checkpoints and all by scanning boarding passes, which helps to validate passenger lists. 

 

Additionally, this software can be integrated with Pay AIMS which is responsible for collecting this data to initiate the debt collection process. In this way, concessionaires can optimize their resources and use them where support is most needed while ground personnel have tools to facilitate their daily tasks.

 

Technologies for airport management

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In our articles, we talk about the digital transformation in the airport sector and the benefits it brings, to  passengers and also to the administration. 

The passenger’s opinion is more critical, from the entrance to an airport, the user becomes the judge who will give the final verdict, to evaluate improvements in the airport sector. 

This is reflected in the results provided year after year by Skytrax, which not only rewards airlines but also airports. 

That is why, we see that airports continue to break new ground and go beyond barriers to provide comfort, confidence, and punctuality from start to finish. 

A sample of what we talked is the Passenger Terminal Expo, which this year returned to Paris to bring it new trends, innovations, and materials to improve the experience at airports worldwide. 

Technological proposals on demand…

This year has the particularity that the technological leap is imminent. From Artificial Intelligence proposals, intelligent surveillance, and interactive kiosks to easily find boarding gates and terminals. 

Intelligent baggage handling logistics and, many more offerings are just some of the challenges that port management will face in the coming years. 

This results in a wide range of options to further improve the technological development structures at large airports. 

And it gives rise to those airports that are still in the process of development, which can join these endless technological options that ensure sustainability, durability, and confidence over time. 

That is why, at GP Nauticals we rely on developing specialized software to provide the port administration, a window that allows us to manage payments, collections, and everything related to billing and administration in a simple way. 

In addition, our SUITE is integrated to improve the performance and management of an airport, thanks to the analysis and reports that allow you to visualize results firsthand. 

Meet PAY AIMS, AERO AIMS, and all the SUITE that GP Nauticals have to facilitate and optimize the time of administrative procedures. 

How is the security at airports?

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Airports are one of the most regulated places in terms of security systems, but how do they manage to control the high amount of luggage and hundreds of travelers at the same time? In this article we will review how the different types of airport screening work and some of their most common practices to make their facilities a safe place for their customers and workers.

 

Concerning passengers, the first checkpoint they must go through is the one before entering the restricted area where they must check their boarding pass. Either employing a scanner that reads the code printed on their boarding pass or directly on their cell phone. It is expected that soon this control will be carried out using biometrics with facial recognition systems, as is already being done in many airports as a test. 

 

After entering the restricted area, passengers must go through a second checkpoint, where their hand luggage will be checked by a second scanner. At this point, the objective is to check that no passenger or employee can access the terminals with prohibited or potentially dangerous objects. For them, passengers must introduce their hand luggage, shoes, and other belongings, and using X-rays will be able to detect any restricted object.

 

This type of scanner at this checkpoint manages to greatly streamline the transit and entry to the facilities since this control should be done manually and individualized. 

 

But what about checked baggage? While passengers enter the terminal, the bags they have previously checked-in are also subjected to several security controls. Once they are received by the airline, the bags pass through the “cheeks yard”, which is nothing more than conveyor belts that take the luggage through 5 different types of control and allow them to avoid dangerous situations such as explosions or fires.

 

Once they have entered the terminal, the controls do not stop, passengers must pass through one or another checkpoint where their data is verified, especially before entering the aircraft. For this reason, airport security personnel play a fundamental role in risk detection and are a key part of the whole security system in the airport. They require very specific training and constant renewal, especially because this area is constantly renewing its technologies and, today they can rely on multiple devices for early detection of risks. 

 

For this reason, GP Nauticals has developed a software called Pax AIMS that allows airports to keep track, control, and audit all passengers entering the airport facilities, deploying fixed or mobile checkpoints and allowing concessionaires to validate boarding lists.

 

If you are interested in learning more about the company or any of its AIMS Suite products, you can visit its website https://gpnauticals.com/ or contact any of its consultants.