Breaking down barriers: How airports can transform fragmented travel into connected experiences

by WAF_Contributor | Sep 18, 2025 | Airports, Digital Transformation, Features

The aviation industry stands at a crossroads. While passengers increasingly expect seamless, personalised experiences similar to what they receive from the likes of Amazon or Netflix, in many cases, airport travel remains fragmented.

Oftentimes, stakeholders operate in silos, data sits isolated across systems, and passengers are left to navigate disconnected touchpoints throughout their journey.

Airports that successfully break down these barriers and create connected travel experiences unlock new revenue streams and benefit from competitive advantages.

Laying the foundation with people, strategy, and culture

People and organisational transformation are key to connected travel. This requires a shift in mindset, from managing individual products in isolation to orchestrating entire passenger experiences.

“I believe we need to move away from managing individual products in isolation and instead orchestrate the entire passenger experience,” explains Mathilde Burtin-Bell, Head of Commercial Services at CAVU. “We need to stop measuring success by individual product margin alone. Instead, we should focus on customer lifetime value across the whole journey. That requires an agile, test-and-learn approach.”

This cultural transformation demands investment in staff capabilities, ensuring teams have the skills and mandate to work across traditional boundaries.

The most successful airports establish clear, collaborative commercial strategies. This means moving beyond traditional departmental structures toward agile teams that can test, learn, and iterate rapidly.

Redefining success metrics to support connected travel

Traditional airport metrics, such as revenue per passenger and individual product margins, tell part of the story, overlooking passenger lifetime value across the entire journey and promoting siloed thinking.

The shift toward connected experiences requires equally connected measurement approaches. Rather than celebrating a successful car park booking or lounge purchase in isolation, airports need to track basket value per transaction, conversion rates across multiple touchpoints, and repeat purchase frequency.

“KPIs should reflect an ecosystem or holistic performance, not individual product silos,” notes Mathilde. “Real success is when a passenger books three services on one floor, not just one, but everyone looks beyond their silos and brings everything into one place.

“Without that, you won’t have the cultural shift needed within the airport, that transition from siloed to integrated journeys. Through these KPIs, you show the business’s intent and commitment.”

Why personalisation is challenging for airports – and why it’s important

For airports, personalisation can be taxing. A passenger’s product choices vary based on trip purpose, travel companions, duration, payment responsibility, and booking timeline. For instance, a family heading to a Mediterranean resort has entirely different needs than a traveller travelling for a two-day business trip.

“Delivering personalisation during the passenger journey is tricky,” explains Nolan Hough, Chief Growth Officer at CAVU. “Every customer changes their product choice based on why they’re travelling, who with, how long for, who’s paying, and how far in advance they book; all these factors influence buying decisions.”

“You need other data points and indicators to offer the right products and services. Many talk about personalisation as if you’ll know everything about a passenger and offer exactly what they need at the right time, but it falls apart if they bought something else through a different channel.

“The key is connecting data in real time and having those indicators. The industry is very fragmented. For example, when booking a flight, airports often don’t know the destination, so it’s hard to offer relevant products.

“That’s where the ecosystem matters. If airports and airlines collaborate, you can join those experiences and indicators to move toward personalisation and more relevant offers.”

The importance of embracing a collaborative ecosystem

The solution to fragmentation lies in reconceptualising the airport experience as an interconnected ecosystem rather than a collection of competing services. This requires a fundamental shift from “customer ownership” thinking to “customer journey stewardship.”

The magic happens when all stakeholders – airports, airlines, retailers, and service providers – create win-win-win scenarios. When a passenger benefits from relevant offers, retailers gain targeted spend, and airports increase conversion rates.

This approach enables airports to function more like digital marketplaces, connecting inventory providers with passengers based on intelligent matching rather than generic broadcasting.

How technology connects key touchpoints

While culture and strategy provide the foundation, technology makes integrated experiences possible. Unified platforms enable real-time data sharing and actionable insights across all touchpoints.

Modern airport technology stacks must support dynamic pricing, passenger recognition, and intelligent inventory management while remaining flexible enough to accommodate diverse stakeholder needs, facilitate collaboration and offer shared value creation.

Successful implementation follows a clear hierarchy: establish data foundations first, then build integrated systems that connect stakeholders and enable information flow. AI and advanced analytics layer on top, focusing on high-impact applications like personalised offers, predictive staffing, and dynamic pricing.

The role of experiential differentiation moving forward

Looking ahead, the greatest opportunities lie in experiential offerings that extend beyond traditional airport services. While hub airports like Changi or Hamad International have pioneered amazing destination experiences, regional airports have largely been left behind.

Yet passenger appetite for pre-bookable experiences exists across all airport types. Whether it’s expedited security, exclusive dining experiences, or curated local discovery packages, airports that think beyond traditional retail and services can create new revenue streams while enhancing passenger satisfaction.

The key is building platforms that can connect these diverse offerings into coherent, personalised packages. Success requires treating the airport not as a transit point, but as an integral part of the travel experience worthy of planning and anticipation.

The infrastructure exists. The passenger demand is clear. Now, the industry must break down the barriers that have defined airport operations for decades and deliver the collaborative, connected approach that passengers deserve.

Want to dive deeper into these insights?

Watch the full webinar Reimagining Airport Value: The Future of Revenue Beyond the Runway, and gain practical insights for transforming your commercial strategies.

Access the complete session here and discover how leading airports are already implementing these connected travel solutions.

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