Presentation by Giorgio Medici - SEA Milan Airports, Italy.

1. Giorgio Medici
Customer Care Manager
SEA Milan Airports, Italy
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2. Passenger Flow Management to
Enhance Passenger Experience at
Milan Malpensa
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3. In 1988, The author Douglas Adams once wrote*:
“It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced
the expression As pretty as an airport.
Airports are ugly. Some are very ugly. Some attain a degree of ugliness that
can only be the result of a special effort.
This ugliness arises because airports are full of people who are tired, cross
and have just discovered that their luggage has landed in Murmansk
(Murmansk airport is the only exception of this otherwise infallible rule) and
architects have on the whole tried to reflect this in their designs”
(*The long Dark Tea-time of the Soul – 1988)
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa

4. 1988 - 2013
25 years have passed since then and arguably, ugliness is no-longer
the principle feature of any single airport, but finding the correct answer to the
recurring question:
‘what really makes an airport a great airport?’
is still no trivial matter.
Hence Improving Passenger Experience
is developing into something of a ‘mantra’
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa

5. The role of Passenger Flow management
in Passenger Experience Improvement
• Milan Malpensa has a history of customer satisfaction analysis which clearly states
that on the whole we offer our passengers an ‘acceptable’ experience.
• Milan Airports’ performance indicators (flight punctuality, baggage delivery,
mishandled baggage rate, etc.) place Malpensa amongst the better performing
European Airports which encourages us to invest even further in Customer
Satisfaction.
• queuing times at check-in, security and passport control undergo strict
supervision: and we know that long and unpredictable waiting times translate into
a worrying and stressful experience for the passenger.
• We also like to reduce stress for our commercial directors who are delighted when
good time management and communication skills leave passengers with plenty of
time to spend (time and money) in the retail areas prior to boarding.
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa

6. Passenger flow Management: a strategic issue
E.R.A. and Airport Passenger Service Charter make Passenger Process measurement mandatory .
Standards for queuing time at check-in, security and passport controls, are set and controlled by National Civil
Aviation Authority
Aviation Business evolution, Airports compete to provide better Passenger Experience. Improved Passenger
Experience means increased commercial revenue and improved Company reputation. Resulting in greater
potential appeal for traffic.
Good Passenger Experience is strongly based on service time reliability and feeling comfortable whilst using
terminal facilities, from curb to gate.
Commercial Directors are happier when passenger can spend more time in commercial areas, without hurrying
to reach gate.
So queuing time management and good communication skills (re terminal crossing time) are strategic issues
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa

7. The actual tracking in Malpensa
Check-in
• Manual sample queuing time tracking
Security Lane
• Bluetooth sample queuing time tracking
• 2D Bar code readers Boarding card data (check-validity and time stamp)
Passport control
• Manual sample queuing time tracking
Boarding control
• Open – close boarding time log
Sibyl by
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa

8. The data tracking in Malpensa final
configurationCheck-in
• Automatic sample queuing time tracking (image processing or wireless
device tracking )
Security Lane
• BlueFi sample queuing time tracking
• 2D Bar code readers for Boarding card data (check-validity and time stamp)
Passport control
• BlueFi sample queuing time tracking
• 2D Bar code readers for Boarding card data (check-validity and time stamp)
Boarding control
• 2D Bar code readers for Boarding card data
?
Sibyl by
Sibyl by
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa
Sibyl by

9. On Passenger side - Up-date time-to-gate information
Improving the process, data collected automatically 24/7 weekly, collected data used to inform passengers on real-
time to gate from any given point inside the terminal.
• Peripheral FIDS will produce time to gate from any point where they are installed along the passenger
path.
• Automated info points will provide flight status information and time-to-gate, by simply scanning the
boarding bar code of any media the passenger uses.
QUEUING
TIME AT
CHECK-IN
WALKING TIME
FROM
CHECK-IN TO
SECURITY
QUEUING
TIME AT
SECURITY
CHECK POINT
WALKING TIME
FROM
SECURITY TO
PASSPORT
QUEUING
TIME AT
PASSPORT
CONTROL
WALKING TIME
FROM
PASSPORT
CONTROL TO
GATE
MY TIME
TO GATE
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa

10. The challenge: expected queuing time calculation
Assuming that technology can provide reliable queuing-time to match passenger expectations
and cater for the Airport’s needs, we are left with the following issues:
 When I leave check-in to go through security and passport control, technology tells me the
current queuing time
Similarly to Zurich and Copenhagen Malpensa will have a SINGLE common shopping area (after
security controls, prior to passport control and gates). Covering a walking distance of 200 m.
 In order to relax whilst in the retail area I need to know what the queue situation will be like
in 15 or 30 mins time when I will have finished shopping!
The queue may be increasing rapidly due to two or more large aircrafts boarding in the following
half hour (an A380 combined with a B777 can create quite a queue!).
 Such precise queuing forecast serves to a) speed passengers along to gate or b) encourage
them to spend their time and money in shops and restaurants.
A reliable and accurate “My Time to Gate” forecast should create a comfortable sensation for
passengers prior to boarding.
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa

11. The approach: evaluating queuing at passport control
Sibyl
Time Stamps
Data
(Security)
Passport
Control
Workstation
Shifts
ChromaACDB
Queuing Data
(Passport)
ChromaACDB
Queuing data
(Passport)
Process
Behaviour
Traffic Data
Sibyl
Transit Time
Data
(Security to
Passport)
Passport
Control
Workstation
Shifts
MyTime
To Gate
Real-Time
Data
Historical
Data
Move to Gate
My Position
in the Terminal
Estimated queuing
times
from now
to boarding
Move to Gate
In XX Min
Traffic Data
OR
My Flight
What is
the time?
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa

12. What Airport asks to Technology providers
Accurate information about passenger flows is based on these essential aspects:
• Reduced detection costs
• Increased sample rate
• Precise data to comprehend passenger behavior (without violating privacy
constraints)
As the project develops these goals are more and more realistic.
Now the real challenge is to develop tools able to predict precise passenger flows
useful for both planning and time management.
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa

13. At the gate; flight closure.
Missing passenger times can be estimated using boarding card data scanned at security filters.
For example:
If a passenger has not yet passed security
control and queuing time is short
airlines can decide to close boarding presuming
that the passenger was not sufficiently punctual
to make the flight; this is even more accurate for
LCC WEB checked passengers
If a passenger has not yet passed security
control and queuing time is lengthy
last call and attempts to get in touch with the
passenger at security lanes could be evaluated
before closing the flight.
Combining queuing time data with checked boarding passes at security filters will provide
precious information for operational and commercial purposes
Immediate benefits from the Airport point of view
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa

14. Immediate benefits from the Airport point of view
Planning commercial offer.
Accurate data about how many passengers walk through a specific retail area can help
structure a more effective offer.
Data generated by scanning boarding
passes gives precise number of passengers
per flight entering commercial areas
Detailed queuing time data can support
decisions to invest further on security
process leading to increased airside
shopping time.
Combining queuing time data with checked boarding passes at security filters will provide
precious information for operational and commercial purposes
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa

15. Data analysis at Terminal 2 in Malpensa
Tuesday 24thJuly
Terminal 2 Malpensa
One Bag
control
17 passengers
Tracked.
Av 9 mins
Max 34 mins
EasyJet
First Wave
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16. Data analysis at Terminal 1 in Malpensa
Monday 23rdJuly
Terminal 1Malpensa
Lunch break
wrong shift planning
Charter Flights
OK
Intercontinental
Flight departures:
wrong shift planning
28 passengers
Tracked.
Av 18 mins
Max 28 mins
14 passengers
Tracked.
Av 20mins
Max 34 mins
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17. Data analysis at Terminal 1 in Malpensa
Sunday 29thJuly
Terminal
1Malpensa
Lunch break
Acceptable
shift planning
Charter Flights
Intercontinental
Flight departures:
Acceptable
shift planning
28 passengers
Tracked.
Av 12mins
Max 17 mins
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18. We are confident that sometime soon passengers
departing from Malpensa will sit back in their plane
seat, buckle up and exclaim:
‘Ah Malpensa , what a pretty airport!’
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Passenger Flow Management to Enhance
Passenger Experience at Milan Malpensa