AI and IoT: The smart tech revolutionising travel
Discover how AI and IoT are playing a prevalent role in supporting airports deliver a connected travel experience to passengers.
From booking a flight to stepping off the plane, passengers today expect a smooth, connected, and personalised travel experience, and technology plays a key role.
With data and ethical innovation leading the way, AI and IoT are helping airports meet rising expectations. The result is smarter operations, deeper insights, and smoother journeys, all paving the way for stronger non-aeronautical revenue.
John Bamber, CAVU’s Engineering Director, shared how airports can use data-driven tools to improve efficiency, improve the passenger experience, and lay the foundations for the future of travel.
The role of data and technology in connected travel
CAVU: How can AI help create a truly seamless travel experience?
John: “AI plays a crucial role in enhancing the passenger journey by providing personalised services, minimising wait times, and optimising operational processes. AI can power chatbots or virtual assistants that help travellers with real-time information, such as gate changes or baggage status.
“AI-driven recommendation systems can provide tailored travel suggestions, from flight upgrades to dining options at the airport, based on a passenger’s preferences and behaviour. By predicting potential disruptions or delays and proactively informing travellers, AI also helps manage expectations and reduce stress, contributing to a smoother, more enjoyable travel experience.”
CAVU: What are some practical applications of AI, IoT, and machine learning in the airport ecosystem today?
John: “Airports are increasingly integrating AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), and machine learning to enhance the passenger experience, strengthen security, and improve overall efficiency. One of IoT’s most valuable roles is collecting data and turning unknown information into known insights. Over the last few years, there have been some great examples of this in action across the airport ecosystem.
“AI-driven biometrics, such as facial recognition and fingerprint scanning, are now being widely used for check-ins, boarding, and security processes. These technologies help reduce wait times and improve overall security by making identity verification faster and more reliable. Predictive maintenance is another area where AI and IoT are having a real impact.”
“IoT devices monitor the condition of equipment like escalators and baggage conveyors, while machine learning algorithms predict potential failures before they happen. This proactive approach helps prevent costly downtime and keeps airport operations running smoothly.
“Baggage handling is also becoming more intelligent. AI algorithms track and manage baggage movements, helping to prevent delays and ensure that luggage reaches its destination without issues.
“IoT sensors provide real-time updates by tracking the movement of luggage throughout the airport, offering passengers greater visibility and reassurance. IoT-enabled smart baggage tags take this even further by allowing travellers to monitor their luggage status in real time, reducing confusion and the risk of lost baggage.
“Finally, machine learning is helping airlines optimise flight schedules. By analysing variables like weather conditions, air traffic, and maintenance requirements, these systems can improve punctuality and boost overall operational efficiency. Together, these technologies are playing an increasingly important role in shaping smarter, more connected airport experiences.”
CAVU: How does automation improve operational efficiency while enhancing passenger experience?
John: “Automation significantly enhances operational efficiencies by reducing human error. Automation is particularly useful in streamlining repeatable processes. Automating something like security screening, automated boarding gates or providing self-check-in or automated baggage drops all have positive experiences around bottlenecks, wait times and delays.”
CAVU: What future innovations in AI and IoT could further transform connected travel?
John: “One thing that seems certain is that AI and IoT will continue to evolve and transform the travel experience in the years ahead. Looking to the future, it’s not unrealistic to imagine a time when wearable devices take over the role of passports, visas, and boarding passes entirely.
“From a customer experience perspective, advances like these could lead to faster passport control, streamlined boarding, and a move towards fully paperless travel. Eventually, this could even pave the way for fully autonomous airports.
“Self-driving vehicles could also play a key role in the future of connected travel, providing more efficient and personalised transport to and from airports. Passengers could enjoy seamless, flexible journeys that are tailored to their specific needs.
“AI-powered personal assistants are another exciting possibility. These could accompany passengers throughout their journey, helping to create personalised travel plans, adjusting itineraries in real time based on delays, and even offering helpful recommendations such as meal options or local weather updates.
“Airports themselves will likely become smarter too. IoT-enabled terminals could anticipate passenger needs as they change throughout the day, automatically adjusting lighting, temperature, and seating layouts to improve comfort and efficiency.
“Passengers might also be able to interact with airport systems using voice commands or gestures, making it easy to request assistance or check flight information without needing to touch a screen.
“Finally, as the integration of IoT continues to deepen, the entire airport ecosystem could become fully connected. Airlines, airports, and local services could work seamlessly together, providing passengers with real-time updates and a much more cohesive, end-to-end travel experience, from booking right through to arrival at their destination.”
CAVU: How do we ensure AI-driven solutions remain scalable and adaptable to different airport environments?
John: “To make sure AI solutions are scalable and adaptable across different airport environments, there are several important considerations.
“First and foremost, it’s crucial to think carefully about your cloud-based AI architecture. Using a microservices approach allows you to update components independently, which avoids system-wide disruptions; this is especially important as reliance on the solution grows over time.
“AI implementations need to work across airports of all sizes and capacities, handling different regulatory environments while staying adaptable to technological changes and varying operational demands.
“It’s also essential that AI frameworks are modular and flexible, so they can be customised to suit the unique needs of each airport, regardless of its scale or existing infrastructure.
“Alongside this, interoperability plays a major role. AI systems must be designed to communicate and share data smoothly across all the different systems within an airport, such as check-in services, baggage handling, and flight information displays, no matter which technology stack is in place.
“Another key element is continuous learning. AI models should be able to adapt over time, responding to local conditions, passenger behaviour, and the changing environment of the airport to maintain their effectiveness.
“Finally, it’s important not to overlook the human element. Airport staff need proper training and ongoing support to use AI-powered systems confidently and to troubleshoot any issues that might arise, ensuring the technology delivers on its full potential.”
How can AI and IoT help airports monetise connected travel?
CAVU: How do automation and AI contribute to cost savings that increase profitability?
John: “Automation and AI play a significant role in helping airports reduce costs across multiple areas. By using automated systems like self-check-in kiosks, autonomous baggage handling, and automated security screening, airports can lower their reliance on manual labour, which directly reduces operational expenses.
“AI systems also contribute by improving resource management. With the ability to forecast demand, they help airports adjust staffing levels accordingly, avoiding overstaffing during quieter periods and ensuring enough staff are in place when it’s busy. This leads to a much more efficient use of resources overall.
“Another major benefit comes from reduced operational downtime. Predictive maintenance, powered by AI and IoT, helps airports stay ahead of potential equipment failures, which minimises disruptions and avoids the costs associated with emergency repairs.
“On top of that, automation can optimise energy usage across terminal buildings, helping airports lower their energy consumption and bring down utility bills.“
CAVU: What role does predictive analytics play in improving resource allocation and reducing inefficiencies?
John: “Predictive analytics plays a crucial role in helping airports and airlines forecast demand more accurately and allocate resources in a way that reduces inefficiencies.
“By analysing historical data, predictive models can anticipate peak times, which allows airports to schedule the right number of staff to manage passenger flow smoothly without the risk of overstaffing.
“It also supports more effective airline scheduling, helping to optimise flight times by considering variables like weather conditions, air traffic, and passenger demand. This leads to fewer delays and improves overall operational efficiency.
“On the ground, predictive analytics helps airports anticipate demand for services such as parking, lounges, and retail concessions. With a clearer view of expected passenger behaviour, airports can plan and manage inventory more effectively, ensuring they meet customer needs while avoiding unnecessary costs.”
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