Singapore University Working with SITA to
Upgrade Air Travel Experience
(07/06/24)
Earlier this year, SITA partnered with the Singapore University
of Technology and Design (SUTD) to create new
offsite passenger processing solutions that would provide airline
passengers with the ability to check-in themselves and their
luggage from almost any location.
By providing SUTD with access to SITA Flex, researchers have the necessary technology
to turn their current physical, digital and experiential
off-airport designs into workable prototypes.
When fully
integrated and completed, passenger processing procedures –
passport scanning, luggage weighing, and printing of luggage tags
and boarding passes – which are usually done at airports, will be
available offsite using those prototypes.
The dynamic nature of the aviation industry, with
its multiple moving pieces all working in sync to support the 7.8
billion passenger journeys projected by 2040, presents an ideal
canvas for SUTD’s expertise.
“We are designing the first fully integrated offsite solution to
be powered by the SITA Flex solution,” said SUTD President,
Professor Chong Tow Chong. “It will have the ability to
scan passports, weigh luggage as well as print tags and boarding
passes just like any in-airport check-in system but with a
completely redesigned physical and digital experience – anywhere,
anytime. This will reshape and elevate global air travel with
greater convenience and efficiency. We look forward to validating
our designs in trials with airport and airline operators, cruise centres as well as hoteliers in the months to come.”
The SUTD-SITA off-airport processing project
took off in March and will run for a year.
As the
hardware and service design requirements are ironed out and
solutions take shape, the off-airport concept will be tested for
seamless integration and optimal performance with various SITA
partners, including airlines, airports and ground handlers.
“By exploring new off-airport solutions, we remain
at the forefront of technology while actively meeting emerging
market demands,” said Sumesh Patel, SITA’s President for the Asia
Pacific region. “SUTD’s designs break away from a traditional
approach to off-airport touchpoints, and powering it will
facilitate innovation and our ability to continually transform the
passenger experience. It will also demonstrate the existing
versatility of our solutions, which can be deployed both in and
off-airport and on non-SITA platforms. We will
also advise on the most efficient way to reach and connect to the
departure control systems of airlines, to bake in seamlessness
from the start.”
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