Airport Experience® News - Post-Conference Issue 2025

than 10,000 respondents, found that the U.S. generally ranks lower than global counterparts in satisfaction with airport experiences. “But there’s a silver lining,” Gwilliam pointed out. “There is an 8% increase over the previous year, which is absolutely huge. It’s really, really encouraging to see.” He added that 63 percent of respondents stated that value for money was the primary reason for dissatisfaction with an airport. He discussed different types of airport spenders, noting that the affluent leisure traveler made up about 3% of survey responders and contributed 71% of overall airport spend, making them an audience worth catering to. Another data point is that 60% of respondents believe airports are getting more crowded and 66% are willing to pay to avoid crowds, which presents an opportunity for premium services like priority check-in, fast-track services, priority parking and private spaces, especially among affluent leisure travelers. Gwilliam added that digital platforms can help with crowding issues. “They can drive people to places that have capacity, they can provide pre-book options to help operators be more efficient and they can provide a suite of other benefits common to so many travel loyalty platforms that exist for hotels, airlines, retailers,...,” he said. The final presentation in the Trends Mixer panel, titled “Beyond Trends: Using Data to Deliver Effective Hospitality,” came from Deb Ward, managing director of business development for travel, parks and resorts and Australia for Delaware North . She shared highlights from the company’s proprietary customer segment survey and research, which

includes data from 78 airports with the aim of understanding traveler demographics, desires and influences, behaviors and spending habits. The results show that travelers are still deterred by long lines to make purchases, tend to gate hug and keep a budget in mind for airport purchases, but all three of these categories decreased in importance compared to previous survey results. The results also found that brand recognition is a major driver for travelers, particularly if that brand also has a connection to the place it’s in. Ward finished her presentation by explaining how Delaware North uses the data it collects. “We dice this into each specific airport and we go through this data when an airport RFP comes out to understand, is the package composition lining up with what we know about the traveler in that space? And if it is, how are we going to program to meet it? If it’s not, we pass on the opportunity because we know what it’s offering up is misaligned with what we understand from our research about that traveler.” Future Proofing Through Technology Airports and concessions operators are tapping technology to enhance the traveler experience. In this session, aviation and tech industry professionals shared their experiences with the digital tools that are upending the status quo and discussed what to expect as the travel tech evolution continues. The first presentation came from the tech side, with Todd Bouman, CEO of Proto Hologram , speaking about “Three Ways AI

Above: Lynnwood Bibbens, CEO and founder of ReachTV.

community and make sure that we’re looking at solutions that not only benefit one of us, but all of us.” Dr. Alvin Brown, president of Gideon Toal Management Services , spoke on the topic of “Social Entrepreneurship and Its Impact on Communities: Exploring How Innovative Approaches to Social Issues Can Lead to Positive Change.” He began by defining what social entrepreneurship entails. “It’s a concept that creates intersectionality between non-profit and profit organizations,” he explained. “A social entrepreneur is a person who explores business opportunities that have a positive impact on their community.” Dr. Brown then provided a real-world example of Gideon Toal Management Services’ social entrepreneurship with its Bridge Travel Essentials concessions concept at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), which was created in partnership with The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center in Dallas and Presbyterian Night Shelter’s Upspire in Fort Worth to create jobs, funding and promote positive change in the local homeless communities with a portion of sales going to the two non-profit partners. “Social entrepreneurs are not just business leaders, they’re change-makers, visionaries and community builders,” Dr. Brown added. “Their innovative approaches to solving social issues inspire us differently to act very boldly.” Chris Gwilliam, senior vice president of global business development for Airport Dimensions , delivered the highlights of the company’s latest independent research study in his presentation titled, “Global Travel Research Survey Results 2025: The Evolution Of Tomorrow’s Traveler.” The study, which included insights from more

Right: Atousa Ghoreichi, senior vice president of digital, Avolta North America.

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AX NEWS MAY 2025