Canadian haste
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Posted Date: 06/05/2008
Issue: Airline Handling International June 2008
Publication: Airline Handling International
Any company that goes through a restructuring will take the opportunity to build new technologies, better efficiencies and cost realignments into their new business models. When they come out of restructuring, it is not unusual to find that these companies have become leading lights in combining new technology with improved processes to lower costs in the performance of their tasks.
In many ways, Air Canada already had the vision in place to e-enable its passenger and baggage check-in processes prior to the last downturn. But, more recently, it has revisited many of the ways it undertakes its functions on the ground and has shown itself to be an even greater champion of new technology for passenger and baggage check-in.
In 2004, Air Canada re-engineered its business model and modified all its customer service systems including: the reservation systems; the departure control system; the check in applications; the airport printer and reader hardware; and the web itinerary receipt. There was also an overhaul of passenger flows, especially since airport authorities in Canada have made such progress towards establishing common use environments at the country’s airports.
Evidence of success
But Air Canada has not just planned and talked about e-enabling ground operations; it is able to put figures to its success. For example, across Canada at Montréal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL), Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR), 15,000 passengers per week are using Air Canada's baggage self-tagging service. Baggage self-tagging is available for flights within Canada, internationally, and for US transborder flights from YUL too.
Air Canada has been offering baggage self-tagging at YUL since October 2006 for domestic, US transborder and international flights. The technology was taken up at YVR in June 2007 and YYZ in September 2007 for domestic and international flights.
A spokesperson for Air Canada explains: “Self-tag kiosks equipped with scanning devices can read 2-D bar codes on self-printed web check in boarding passes, and on mobile devices. Expansion to other Canadian cities is planned by summer 2008, pending Transport Canada's approval.”
In addition to self-serve baggage tags at YUL, YYZ and YVR, Air Canada has seen significant achievement across all its check-in technology innovations. In fact, Air Canada reported that 57% of Air Canada’s customers used self-serve check-in products worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2007.
Air Canada is also installing automated passport readers in its kiosks, reducing transaction time and assisting with the collection of APIS information.
Today, Air Canada operates more than 500 kiosks at the airlines’ major European hubs (London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle), throughout Canada and in major US cities. Much of the achievement relates to 2-D bar codes which allow the passenger to: cross security check points; self baggage tag at the kiosk; board the flight; and be sent an e-boarding card to his or her mobile device. In the future the technology could be used for off site check-in; accessing Maple Leaf Lounges; inflight service; common baggage drop off; delayed baggage reconciliation; and handling last minute flight changes.
Into perspective
The technology is readily available and the achievements are coming thick and fast but it is important to put all this progress into context. Georg Theis is the Senior Director – Airports at Air Canada, and he explains that everything being achieved on the passenger and baggage handling front at Air Canada relates to delivering choice to the passenger while reducing queuing time.
When asked whether Air Canada’s ultimate objective is to achieve significant remote check-in online and away from the airport, Theis states: “We want to give the passenger the opportunity to do things as early as possible. Rather than having to arrive at the airport early and be anxious about queuing, we want to offer the passenger mobile check-in, web check-in and other methods so that passengers can achieve check-in early,” comments Theis.
In terms of subscribing to common use environments, Theis stresses that Air Canada is very happy with the common use platforms being made available by airports, especially in Canada. “The common use systems that are set up in Canada allow us to use our applications satisfactorily so there is no limitation for us from the hardware perspective,” remarks Theis.
Away from Canada, in selecting third party passenger handlers to accommodate the appropriate tasks at destination airports, Theis talks in terms of selecting handling partners on the basis of being able to provide safe and secure operations with a high level of quality. “We are doing a lot of things in terms of quality to make sure we get the services we need and those our customers expect,” he comments, adding that this is where service level agreements (SLAs) come into their own, especially in Europe where service levels are more thoroughly benchmarked. “We are also increasing our auditing staff– based on those SLAs, the described tasks, metrics, penalties and incentives – to go out and make sure we get the service we have agreed upon.”
So in which ways does a third party ground handler, working as an agent of Air Canada, have to adopt the processes and working practices of the airline in order to perform handling tasks to the airline’s specifications? “We’re doing a lot of things in the baggage tracking arena,” says Theis. “But what we require is not so much about handlers adopting Air Canada’s mindset but that of the airline industry in general.”
He continues: “We need handlers to do a better job in tracking bags. Our expectations of the handlers are that they use the tools that we give them, or that they have themselves, to track the bag, to know when the bag was off-loaded, to find out when the bag was inducted into the system and so on.”
But Theis is not looking for a stick with which to beat handling agents; quite the opposite. “Everyone needs to survive but we, as an airline, are under immense pressure to reduce costs and so the suppliers are asked to do the same. But what counts is doing handling more intelligently. We need to have detailed discussions with handlers about the services that they provide and then we have to look at what can be done more efficiently through a joint approach. There are often overlaps between what the airport authority provides and what the handler provides. It is important for us to understand exactly what we are getting for the price we pay and then make the business decision as to whether we need all these services,” he remarks.
Right now, Theis insists that the way forward is for airlines and handlers – working with airport authorities – to understand thoroughly each other’s expectations and document these expectations accurately so there are no contractual grey areas and working relationships are as intelligent as the systems employed.
Air Canada consolidates all Toronto flights in Terminal 1
Since January 2007, All Air Canada and Air Canada Jazz passengers now use the new Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson Airport when arriving or departing Toronto on US transborder flights. With the opening of the new Pier F at Terminal 1, all Air Canada’s US operations in Toronto have been consolidated with its domestic and international operations in the terminal; Air Canada no longer operates from Terminal 2.
US transborder and international passengers passing through Pier F at Terminal 1 benefit from numerous features to simplify their travel. These include new check-in kiosks in locations convenient to the customer, new check-in counters, web check-in baggage drop-off counters and two new customer service counters. Air Canada also opened two new Maple Leaf Lounges for eligible customers.
Paperless boarding passes prove a hit at Air Canada
Mobile check-in services have now been expanded with the introduction of paperless boarding passes. In September 2007, Air Canada introduced paperless boarding passes for its customers who check in using their personal digital assistant (PDA) such as Blackberry or Treo or cell phone. The service has been enhanced to offer customers the option of receiving an electronic boarding pass, in the form of SMS text messages, that the customer simply shows to airport security screening personnel and Air Canada gate agents in lieu of a paper boarding pass. Passengers with baggage to check proceed as usual to baggage drop-off points prior to security screening. Air Canada’s new mobile service is currently available for boarding domestic Canada flights and departures to international but non-US destinations, including connecting flights from 60 airports across Canada served by Air Canada and Jazz.
Using a mobile device, the customer simply logs on to http://mobile.aircanada.com and enters the required information: last name, first name, departure city and either the Aeroplan number, credit card number or booking reference. If the device supports 2-D bar code technology and the travel itinerary qualifies for an electronic boarding pass, the customer is prompted to enter his mobile number to receive the boarding pass. While 2-D bar code technology works on a majority of mobile devices, some older telephones or PDAs may not be compatible. If this is the case, it is still possible to use Air Canada’s mobile check-in and print a boarding pass at a self- service kiosk or with an agent.
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