MAKING AN AWARD-WINNING AIRPORT EVEN BETTER

VICTORIA INTERNATIONALAIRPORT

CUSTOMER STORY

EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH STANDARDS REQUIRE EXCEPTIONAL SOLUTIONS Sometimes an acceptable solution just isn’t good enough. Victoria International Airport (YYJ) is committed to providing excellent customer service. As recipient of the prestigious Airports Council International Award for Airport Service Quality in both 2014 and 2012, it ranked first overall for airports in North America carrying up to 2 million passengers per year.

YYJ has also been rated one of the top ten most-loved airports in the world by CNN Travel. One reason for these accolades is that YYJ takes every opportunity to put its passengers and airline partners first – so when both began showing an affinity for automated check-in, YYJ made the decision to deploy self-service check-in kiosks. Naturally, this award-winning airport wanted the best technical solution, with service and support capabilities to match.

EXPERIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE MADE THE DIFFERENCEWith the bar raised, achieving success now required a unique combination of industry experience, great technology and comprehensive infrastructure. As the leading specialist in air transport communications and IT solutions, SITA helps more than 1,000 airports worldwide deliver a hassle-free passenger journey.

“We chose SITA as a result of a competitive process which took into account the cost, support agreement and feedback from other airports with which they have relationships,” said James Bogusz, Vice President, Operations and Development, Victoria Airport Authority.

The SITA AirportConnect Kiosk, 18 of which were deployed at YYJ, can be dedicated to one or shared by multiple airlines, and can be used for a number of self-service processes – including booking, changing a reservation and check-in. It is designed to meet IATA’s common use self-service (CUSS) specifications. SITA’s integral role in the IATA CUSS Management Group ensures early awareness of upcoming standards and IATA requirements – meaning its kiosks are always fully compliant.

And finally, SITA provides proactive management and remote support 24/7 through its Montreal-based Global Command Center. In addition to reducing total cost of ownership and being simple to use, SITA’s self-service kiosks are designed to be serviced on-site, so YYJ was able to assume responsibility for basic repair and replenishment needs. Other benefits include reduced passenger-handling costs, optimized airport space and improved passenger satisfaction.

PROACTIVE SUPPORT DELIVERS RESULTS The SITA territory manager for Victoria has more than 25 years of experience with both airlines and airports, resulting in a deep understanding of YYJ’s operational challenges and needs-based, culture-specific solutions. These included ongoing communications, advance incident resolution, onsite support, and service staff technical expertise.

As improvements progressed, weekly calls to ensure follow-up and address any customer concerns were moved to monthly calls, which now take just a few minutes. SITA also made a second personal visit to confirm everything was as expected and help test and update some support documentation.

© SITA 2015

“ WHAT DIFFERENTIATES SITA IS OUR INDUSTRY DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE. OUR TERRITORY MANAGER FOR VICTORIA HAS SPENT MORE THAN 25 YEARS IN THE AIR TRANSPORT INDUSTRY WORKING FOR AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS, ALLOWING HER TO UNDERSTAND THE CUSTOMER’S OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES AND ENSURE SITA CAN DELIVER OUTSTANDING SERVICE.”

MARCIA GIPSON VICE PRESIDENT, SERVICE OPERATIONS, THE AMERICAS, SITA

SITA’s experts now proactively monitor YYJ’s infrastructure, identifying and resolving problems – often before they impact services. This is because SITA’s AirportConnect Kiosk is supported by SITA Global Services, which provides global business continuity through a flexible service model. “Working with SITA both pre- and post-sales has been excellent,” said Bogusz. “Their integrated approach to deployment and involving our staff at all levels provided us with confidence and understanding of both their technical solution and the support process,” he added.

SITA’s remote monitoring service ensures its customers’ IT systems are reliable and available around the clock and around the world. For YYJ, this approach revolves around proactive management and both onsite and remote resolution.

In addition, SITA’s AirportConnect Kiosk improves passenger processing times by as much as 25% while making efficient use of the limited physical space at the airport. Beyond check-in, the kiosk allows passengers to print bag tags and boarding passes, pay for extra luggage, and find basic information on airport restaurants and retailers.

3© SITA 2015

“ SITA HAS BEEN AN EXCEPTIONAL BUSINESS PARTNER. THEIR COMMITMENT TO RESOLVING AIRPORT MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES AND ENSURING MAXIMUM AVAILABILITY OF TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN GREAT. FOR COMMON-USE SELF-SERVICE (CUSS) KIOSKS, I WOULD RECOMMEND SITA.”

JAMES BOGUSZ VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS & DEVELOPMENT, VICTORIA AIRPORT AUTHORITY

SITA AT A GLANCE

We are the world’s leading specialists in air transport communications and IT solutions.

We deliver and manage business solutions for airline, airport, GDS, government and other customers over the world’s most extensive network, which forms the communications backbone of the global air transport industry.

© SITA 15-END-082-1 All trademarks acknowledged. Specifications subject to change without prior notice. This literature provides outline information only and (unless specifically agreed to the contrary by SITA in writing) is not part of any order or contract.

For further information, please visit www.sita.aero

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SITA SOLUTIONSTo accomplish these improvements and enhancements to YYJ’s automated check-in experience, SITA deployed and integrated its AirportConnect Kiosk, which offers a range of benefits including:

• A sleek, small footprint to maximize check-in space.

• An easy-to-use, contemporary, aesthetically appealing design.

• Installation and training for on-site support, remote management, maintenance and repair.

• Compatibility with boarding pass and bag tag printers, barcode and passport scanners.

• IEEE 802.11 wireless connectivity.

• Integration with many other SITA services, including AirportConnect Open, which provides a foundation for proactive monitoring and management, increasing kiosk uptime, and Passenger iCheck, the check-in application.

ONWARD AND UPWARDAs evidenced by winning the Award for Airport Service Quality not once but twice, YYJ does not rest on its laurels, so chances are that even better days are ahead, and SITA is proud to be its partner. “SITA’s team of professionals, both in sales and support, has been great to work with,” said Bogusz. “We would certainly recommend them for the delivery of Common Use Self Service Kiosks for an international airport.”

For more information on Victoria airport visit www.victoriaairport.com