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Leveraging over 80 years of aviation expertise, explore the latest insights from the travel industry covering everything from opinion pieces and thought leadership to our latest product releases, technology updates, and more.

The in-airport experience is where expectations either hold up or fall apart. Passengers arrive with preconceptions shaped by previous experiences, online information, and pre-bookings. The gap between those expectations and terminal reality determines whether passengers feel confident and ready to spend or stressed and focused solely on reaching their gate. 
For years, airports have lacked a clear, shared view of information. They know broadly what&#8217;s happening across the terminal, such as queue lengths and gate changes, but passengers don&#8217;t. This creates uncertainty, hindering both satisfaction and commercial performance. Stressed passengers rush through terminals, bypassing retail and food outlets, making rushed decisions or avoiding them entirely. 
Real-time data changes this dynamic. When passengers access accurate, current information, they make better decisions, move confidently, and engage more readily with commercial opportunities. When airports have real-time visibility into passenger behaviour and terminal conditions, they respond proactively, optimising both operations and revenue. 
The airports that will excel in 2026 recognise real-time data as a key part of their strategy, transforming the entire in-terminal experience.

<h2 aria-level="2">Real-time information transforms passenger confidence and spending </h2>
Walk through most terminals, and you&#8217;ll see passengers constantly checking phones, seeking information on gate announcements, security waiting times, and so forth. 
Without accurate answers, passengers adopt cautious approaches, arriving at gates far earlier than necessary and missing opportunities to engage with airport services. Traditional responses, static signage and periodic announcements can&#8217;t adapt to changing conditions. When security queues suddenly lengthen or gate changes create confusion, static information actively misleads passengers and erodes trust. 
Real-time data infrastructure enables a different approach. Digital displays show current security wait times updated continuously based on actual throughput. Mobile apps send gate change notifications before passengers see them on boards. Interactive wayfinding routes passengers around congestion or towards less busy security lanes. 
The impact is significant. When passengers trust the information they receive, they feel more in control. That control reduces anxiety, and reduced anxiety changes spending behaviour. Research shows that for every 10 minutes passengers spend in security queues, their retail spending drops by 30%. Passengers who know they have 40 minutes until boarding and that security takes 10 minutes behave very differently from those uncertain whether they have time to stop. 
This has a key impact on commercial performance. J.D. Power research indicates passengers who are &#8220;delighted&#8221; with their airport experience spend an average of $44 in the terminal, compared to just $29 spent by those who say they’re disappointed, a 52% difference directly tied to passenger satisfaction. 
For smaller airports, real-time systems can seem prohibitive, but the investment increasingly pays for itself through stronger commercial performance and better operational efficiency. Technology costs have fallen sharply, making basic implementations achievable even on tight budgets. Starting with high-impact areas such as security wait times delivers clear benefits while laying the groundwork for wider deployment.

<h2 aria-level="2">Turning browsing into commercial engagement </h2>
Dwell time, the time spent in the terminal after passing through security, has always been commercially valuable, but airports have traditionally treated it passively. <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/non-aeronautical-revenue-what-it-is-why-its-essential-and-how-it-boosts-airports-earnings/">Non-aeronautical revenues</a> now account for approximately 40% of total airport income globally, with retail contributing around 30% of this revenue stream. Yet many airports leave significant value on the table through passive approaches where passengers are left to wander and browse. 
Real-time data enables airports to move from passive to active dwell time management. Instead of hoping passengers stumble across opportunities, airports can actively guide them based on current conditions and individual context. 
Consider a passenger who cleared security with 45 minutes until boarding. Real-time systems identify their location, understand remaining time, know previous purchases, and recognise that their gate is in a different terminal section. Rather than letting them wander, the system proactively suggests relevant retail or food options along their route, perhaps offering time-limited promotions to create urgency. 
This <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/data-driven-personalisation/">personalisation</a> requires integrating multiple data sources: flight information systems, positioning data, CRM systems, and point-of-sale data. When these work together in real-time, the result is contextually relevant prompts that feel helpful rather than intrusive. 
The commercial impact is measurable. Airports implementing intelligent dwell time management consistently see increased conversion rates and higher transaction values, not through pushing passengers harder but by making it easier to find what they want when they want it. 
The key is respecting passenger intent. Data should be used to deliver a helpful, memorable experience, rather than being used to bombard passengers with untargeted messaging. A passenger rushing to make a tight connection needs the fastest route to their gate, not retail suggestions. Real-time systems should recognise these contexts and adjust accordingly.

<h2 aria-level="2">Dynamic wayfinding drives satisfaction and revenue </h2>
Real-time data enables intelligent wayfinding that adapts to passenger needs and current conditions. Digital systems provide turn-by-turn directions customised to mobility needs, language preferences, and time constraints. More importantly, they route passengers dynamically based on terminal conditions. 
If one route is congested with passengers from a flight that’s recently landed, the system suggests alternatives. If construction blocks a corridor, directions update automatically. If a passenger with limited mobility needs to reach a distant gate, the system routes them past wheelchair assistance points. 
This dynamic routing creates commercial opportunities. When airports understand passenger flows in real-time, they guide traffic towards or away from retail areas based on capacity. A quiet café benefits from increased foot traffic, whilst an overcrowded retail zone gets bypassed to improve the overall experience.

<h2 aria-level="2">Live insights unlock revenue during delays and disruptions </h2>
Real-time data fundamentally changes how airports approach commercial operations. Traditional planning relies on historical patterns and broad assumptions. Real-time insights enable dynamic commercial optimisation responding to current conditions. 
When airports have live visibility into passenger volumes, demographics, dwell time, and behaviour patterns, they make informed decisions, maximising revenue. A gate change concentrating passengers in a quiet terminal section creates opportunities to activate nearby retail through targeted promotions. A delay extending dwell time allows food outlets to adjust staffing and inventory to meet increased demand. 
Consider flight delays, which can create unexpected passenger concentrations and extended dwell times. Traditional approaches let this play out. Real-time systems, however, enable a proactive response: they identify affected passengers, determine who has time for a lounge versus grab-and-go options, and send targeted messages about nearby outlets, including current wait times and relevant promotions.
The commercial uplift is substantial. Airports implementing real-time commercial optimisation consistently report double-digit increases in food and beverage revenue during irregular operations. 
Industry data shows that relaxed, happy travellers spend 7% more on retail and 10% more on duty-free than stressed passengers. This uplift comes from better connecting travellers who have time to spend with outlets that have the capacity to serve them.

<h2 aria-level="2">Real-time operations address staffing constraints and efficiency </h2>
Real-time operational data enables airports to identify and respond to issues before they escalate. Security queue management provides a clear example. Without real-time visibility, airports rely on staffing patterns based on historical averages, often meaning over-staffing during quiet periods and under-staffing when unexpected volumes arrive. Real-time queue monitoring enables dynamic staff deployment, moving resources where needed most and reducing both wait times and labour costs. 
According to IATA&#8217;s Global Passenger Survey, 70% of passengers expect to reach their gate within 30 minutes when travelling with carry-on luggage, while 74% expect no more than 45 minutes with checked baggage. Real-time systems help airports to consistently meet these expectations. 
For airports struggling with staff shortages, real-time operational data becomes critical. When resources are constrained, using them intelligently based on real-time need rather than historical patterns can partially offset capacity limitations, maximising the effectiveness of available resources.

<h2 aria-level="2">Integration and strategy matter more than technology alone </h2>
None of these applications exists in isolation. The power of real-time data comes from integration: connecting passenger journey data with operational systems, commercial platforms, and communication channels. 
Building this data foundation requires intentional strategy. It&#8217;s not enough to deploy more sensors or implement new systems. Airports need to think carefully about what data matters, how systems will connect, how insights will be generated, and most importantly, how those insights will inform action. 
The good news is that building real-time data capability doesn&#8217;t require replacing entire technology stacks. Many airports already have valuable data sources; the opportunity lies in connecting them more effectively and extracting actionable insights. 
<h2 aria-level="2">Unlock expert insights and start building your data-driven strategy </h2>
The airports that will lead in 2026 treat real-time data not as a future aspiration but as a priority in their existing strategy. Passenger expectations continue rising, shaped by digital experiences in other industries where real-time information and personalised engagement are standard. 
Real-time data reduces passenger stress, enabling more confident movement and greater commercial engagement. It enables operational efficiency, improving both experience and cost performance. It allows airports to maximise dwell time revenue by understanding and responding to passenger needs in the moment. 
Ready to identify where your airport can capture the biggest opportunities? Our infographic, <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/mapping-the-future-of-travel-experiences-infographic/">‘Mapping the future of travel experiences’</a>, highlights real-time data applications across the entire passenger journey, whilst our upcoming webinar delivers practical frameworks for building the data foundation that drives commercial growth. 
<a href="https://ca.vu/insights/mapping-the-future-of-travel-experiences-infographic/">CLICK HERE to download your copy</a> and explore opportunities across every stage of the passenger journey, from pre-trip through to post-journey engagement. Discover where leading airports are focusing their efforts to meet evolving passenger needs and unlock new commercial potential. 
<a href="https://ca.vu/insights/mapping-the-future-of-travel-experiences-infographic/">Download the Infographic &gt;</a> 
Plus, join our upcoming webinar, <a href="https://signup.ca.vu/the-data-strategy-webinar/?_gl=1*x8s2oe*_ga*NzIwNTc0MjUuMTc2MDk2ODA3OQ..*_ga_QDM2BXW96D*czE3Njg0MTE5MDckbzEzNyRnMSR0MTc2ODQxNDU0OCRqNTYkbDAkaDA.">‘The Data Strategy Blueprint: Laying the Foundations for Commercial Growth’</a>, featuring Paris Bielby, Data Director at CAVU, and Jamal Karim, Lead Data Engineer at CAVU, on Wednesday, 18 March 2026. 
You’ll learn how to define what “good data” really looks like, design cross-ecosystem strategies, build strong data governance, and enable faster, evidence-based commercial decisions. 
<a href="https://signup.ca.vu/the-data-strategy-webinar/?_gl=1*x8s2oe*_ga*NzIwNTc0MjUuMTc2MDk2ODA3OQ..*_ga_QDM2BXW96D*czE3Njg0MTE5MDckbzEzNyRnMSR0MTc2ODQxNDU0OCRqNTYkbDAkaDA.https://signup.ca.vu/the-data-strategy-webinar/?_gl=1*x8s2oe*_ga*NzIwNTc0MjUuMTc2MDk2ODA3OQ..*_ga_QDM2BXW96D*czE3Njg0MTE5MDckbzEzNyRnMSR0MTc2ODQxNDU0OCRqNTYkbDAkaDA.">Register now</a>, and we’ll email you a recording packed with actionable insights. 
<a href="https://signup.ca.vu/the-data-strategy-webinar/?_gl=1*x8s2oe*_ga*NzIwNTc0MjUuMTc2MDk2ODA3OQ..*_ga_QDM2BXW96D*czE3Njg0MTE5MDckbzEzNyRnMSR0MTc2ODQxNDU0OCRqNTYkbDAkaDA.">Sign Up Here&gt;</a>

Learn how leading airports use live insights to reduce stress and maximise passenger spend.

Erik Odiin JbQvJx2EWnU Unsplash

Why real-time data will be key to in-airport experiences in 2026

The pre-trip stage has always been important, but it&#8217;s never been this critical. With passengers making more decisions online before they even reach the terminal, airports that fail to engage effectively during this window risk losing revenue, missing upsell opportunities, and starting the passenger relationship on the wrong foot. 
The challenge? Many airports are still treating pre-trip as a functional booking phase rather than a revenue opportunity. Systems remain disconnected, passenger data sits in silos, and the experience feels transactional. Meanwhile, passengers expect seamless digital experiences that rival the best consumer brands they interact with daily. 
The opportunity is significant. When airports get pre-trip right, they don&#8217;t just drive <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/non-aeronautical-revenue-what-it-is-why-its-essential-and-how-it-boosts-airports-earnings/">non-aeronautical revenue</a>: they set the tone for the entire journey, reduce operational pressure in the terminal, and build the foundation for long-term passenger loyalty. 
Digital integration will transform the pre-trip experience in 2026; here’s why airports need to pay attention now.
<h2 aria-level="2">1) Passenger anxiety can be reduced &#8211; increasing pre-booking revenue </h2>
Passenger anxiety is real, and it starts well before anyone arrives at the airport. 
“Will there be traffic? Will I find parking? Should I have booked fast track?” 
These questions create stress, and stressed passengers either over-prepare or arrive unprepared, both of which create operational challenges. 
Smart airports are recognising that reducing pre-trip anxiety isn&#8217;t just good customer service: it&#8217;s a revenue opportunity. When passengers feel uncertain, they&#8217;re more likely to seek out services that give them control and peace of mind. The key is presenting these options at the right moment, in the right context, through the right channel. 
Digital integration makes this possible. By connecting booking systems with real-time operational data, airports can offer genuinely helpful recommendations rather than generic upsells. If a passenger has booked an early morning flight during peak season, the system can proactively suggest parking options whilst inventory is still available, or highlight fast track if queues are expected to be longer than usual. 
This approach works particularly well for smaller and medium-sized airports that may lack the brand recognition of major hubs. Passengers travelling through unfamiliar airports often have heightened anxiety. By providing clear, helpful information and relevant pre-booking options, these airports can reduce uncertainty, increase confidence and improve conversions. 
<a href="https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/pre-book-airport-transfer-global-market-report#:~:text=The%20pre%2Dbook%20airport%20transfer%20market%20size%20has%20grown%20rapidly,availability%20of%20cost%2Deffective%20packages.">Pre-book transfers are forecast to grow 15.4% over the next five years</a>, highlighting a clear commercial opportunity. 
Passengers who pre-book services spend more on average than those who don&#8217;t, partly because they&#8217;re considered decisions rather than reactive ones, and partly because pre-booking creates a commitment to the journey that encourages further spending.

<h2 aria-level="2">2) Enablement of personalised, relevant offers<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> </h2>
According to HubSpot, <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/hubspot-sales-strategy-report?hubs_content=blog.hubspot.com/sales/sales-statistics&amp;hubs_content-cta=87-of-sales-professionals">87% of sales professionals practice cross-selling</a>, generating an average of 21% of company revenue. 
However, <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/uk/learning-centre/sales/upselling/">generic upselling</a> doesn&#8217;t work anymore, particularly in the competitive world of travel. Passengers are bombarded with offers across every digital platform they use, and they&#8217;ve become skilled at filtering out irrelevant marketing and messaging. Airports that continue to present the same offers to every passenger, regardless of context, are wasting one of their most valuable commercial opportunities. 
The solution lies in <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/data-driven-personalisation/">data-driven personalisation</a>. When booking systems, CRM platforms, and operational tools are properly integrated, airports gain a much clearer picture of who their passengers are, what they value, and what they&#8217;re likely to need. This enables targeted upselling that feels helpful rather than intrusive. 
Consider a family travelling with young children versus a solo business traveller. Their needs are completely different, yet many airports present them with identical offers. Integrated systems allow airports to tailor the experience based on booking data, travel patterns, and previous behaviour. The family might see lounge access with child-friendly facilities and priority boarding to reduce stress, whilst the business traveller receives offers for workspace lounges and express services. 
For airports operating under tight budget constraints, this level of personalisation might seem out of reach. But the reality is that basic segmentation, enabled by connecting existing systems more effectively, can deliver significant improvements without requiring massive technology investments. The key is starting with the data you already have and using it more intelligently. 
Larger airports with more complex procurement processes face a different challenge: multiple systems that don&#8217;t communicate effectively. The result is fragmented passenger profiles and missed opportunities. When a passenger books parking through one system, fast track through another, and lounge access through a third, no single system has the complete picture. Integration solves this by creating a unified view that enables smarter upselling across all touchpoints. 
The commercial benefit extends beyond immediate conversion rates. Personalised offers improve passenger satisfaction because they feel considered rather than spammy. This builds trust, which translates into higher lifetime value as passengers become more willing to engage with future offers.

<h2 aria-level="2">3) Communicate the benefits of pre-booking<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;134245418&quot;:true,&quot;134245529&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:160,&quot;335559739&quot;:80,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> </h2>
Many airports treat <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/why-pre-booking-should-be-a-key-priority-for-your-airport-this-holiday-season/">pre-booking</a> as a convenience feature when it should be positioned as the smart traveller&#8217;s default choice. The difference matters because it fundamentally changes how passengers perceive and engage with pre-trip services. 
When pre-booking is framed merely as a nice-to-have, passengers often defer decisions until they arrive at the airport, either because they&#8217;re unsure about timing, want to keep their options open, or simply haven&#8217;tprioritised it. This creates several problems: revenue leakage, operational congestion at peak times, and a more stressful experience for passengers who realise too late that services they wanted are sold out or significantly more expensive. 
Digital integration enables airports to shift this dynamic by making a compelling case for pre-booking through three key levers: improved availability, better pricing, and a more engaging customer experience. 
Better availability is straightforward but powerful. Integrated systems can show real-time capacity across services, allowing airports to demonstrate scarcity without creating a false sense of urgency. When a passenger sees that parking in their preferred location is filling up, or that fast track slots during their travel window are limited, they&#8217;re motivated to act. That said, this only works when the information is accurate and genuinely helpful.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
Improved pricing follows naturally. <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/the-hidden-cost-of-flat-pricing-and-how-dynamic-pricing-helps/">Dynamic pricing</a>, enabled by integrated systems, allows airports to reward early bookers with more competitive rates whilst optimising revenue from last-minute demand. However, it&#8217;simportant to recognise that this isn&#8217;t necessarily about punishing passengers who don&#8217;t pre-book: it&#8217;s about creating clear value for those who plan ahead. The key is transparency. Passengers need to understand why pre-booking offers better value. 
A heightened experience is perhaps the most important positioning element. Pre-booking should be framed not just as securing a service but as securing peace of mind. Passengers who pre-book can skip queues, avoid disappointment, and start their journey with everything in place. For time-pressed business travellers and families trying to minimise stress, this emotional benefit often matters more than the financial saving. 
For airports with limited marketing budgets, this positioning shift doesn&#8217;t require expensive campaigns. It requires clear, consistent messaging across all digital touchpoints, from the initial booking confirmation email through to pre-arrival communications. When systems are properly integrated, this messaging can be automated and personalised, making it both cost-effective and scalable.

<h2 aria-level="2">4) Optimise the booking-to-travel window to drive engagement </h2>
The period between booking and travel is often treated as dead time, but it&#8217;s one of the most valuable engagement windows airports have. Passengers are excited about their trip, actively planning, and open to suggestions. Yet many airports remain silent during this phase, missing the opportunity to build anticipation, deepen engagement, and drive additional spend. 
Digital integration transforms this window by enabling relevant, timely communications that enhance the passenger&#8217;s journey planning. This goes beyond transactional reminders about booking confirmations. It&#8217;s about becoming a helpful partner in the travel experience. 
Integrated systems allow airports to track where each passenger is in their journey planning and adjust communications accordingly. A passenger who booked flights six months in advance is in a different mindset than someone travelling next week. Early in the planning phase, content might focus on building excitement and encouraging additional bookings like lounges or meet-and-greet services. Closer to travel, the focus shifts to practical preparation: travel tips, information about getting to the airport, and last-minute service availability. 
This approach works because it respects the passenger&#8217;s planning timeline rather than bombarding them with irrelevant messages. When airports get this right, open rates and engagement metrics improve significantly because passengers find the content useful. 
Smaller airports often worry that they lack the content resources or brand strength to compete in this space. But the reality is that passengers value practical, local information just as much as polished marketing content. Tips on the best route to the airport, information about roadworks or travel disruptions, or simple countdown reminders can be highly effective without requiring significant creative resources. 
The commercial opportunity lies in strategic upselling within this engagement flow. When communications are genuinely helpful, passengers are more receptive to relevant offers. A travel tip email mentioning typical security queue times can naturally include information about fast-track services. A reminder about baggage allowances creates an opportunity to mention luggage storage or porter services. 
The key is maintaining the balance between being helpful and being sales focused. When integration enables smarter targeting, airports can ensure that offers are relevant and timely rather than generic and intrusive. This builds trust, which is the foundation for both immediate conversions and long-term loyalty.

<h2 aria-level="2">5) Simplify the buying process </h2>
One of the biggest inhibitors to pre-trip revenue is unnecessary complexity. Passengers want to prepare for their journey, but they don&#8217;t want to navigate multiple booking systems, decipher confusing baggage policies, or spend time comparing options across different platforms. 
When the pre-trip experience feels complicated, passengers either abandon the process entirely or defer decisions until they reach the airport, where time pressure often leads to frustration rather than conversion. 
Digital integration simplifies this by creating unified experiences that reduce friction at every step. Instead of requiring passengers to visit separate platforms for parking, fast track, lounge access, and other services, integrated systems enable one-stop booking where passengers can add everything they need in a single transaction. This isn&#8217;t just more convenient: it significantly increases average transaction value because passengers are more likely to add multiple services when the process is seamless. 
This matters particularly for airports serving diverse passenger types. Business travellers value speed and efficiency, families need clarity about options that suit their specific requirements, and infrequent travellers require reassurance that they&#8217;re making the right choices. A well-integrated digital experience can accommodate all these needs without creating separate booking flows for each segment. 
Baggage represents a specific area where simplification can reduce anxiety and drive revenue. Many passengers find airline baggage policies confusing, leading to last-minute panic at check-in or unexpected fees. Airports that integrate baggage information into their pre-trip communications, presenting clear explanations and offering relevant services like additional baggage allowance or luggage storage, turn a point of confusion into a service opportunity. 
For airports operating with older systems or limited technical resources, the prospect of integration might seem daunting. However, the approach doesn&#8217;t require replacing entire technology stacks. Often, the most impactful improvements come from better connecting existing systems through APIs or middleware that enable data sharing and create more unified passenger experiences. Starting with high-impact integrations, like connecting booking and CRM systems, can deliver significant benefits whilst building the foundation for broader transformation. 
Larger airports face different challenges around integration, primarily managing complexity across multiple stakeholders and systems. Procurement processes, legacy technology, and organisational silos can slow progress. However, the commercial imperative is clear: passengers expect seamless experiences, and airports that can&#8217;t deliver them will lose revenue to competitors or to passengers simply choosing not to engage with pre-trip services.

<h2 aria-level="2">Why pre-trip sets the foundation for everything that follows </h2>
These areas represent more than incremental improvements to the pre-trip experience. Together, they form a fundamental shift in how airports approach this critical journey stage: from transactional to strategic, from generic to personalised, from reactive to anticipatory. 
The airports that’ll thrive in 2026 are those that recognise pre-trip as the foundation for the entire passenger relationship. Get it right, and everything that follows becomes easier. Passengers arrive prepared, spend more, experience less stress, and are more likely to engage with services throughout their journey. Operational pressure reduces because fewer passengers need assistance with last-minute bookings or problem resolution. 
Digital integration is the enabler, but the real transformation is in mindset. It requires viewing technology not as a cost centre but as a commercial enabler, understanding passengers not as transactions but as relationships that begin long before they reach the terminal, and recognising that the airports winning in this space aren&#8217;t necessarily those with the biggest budgets but those that use data and technology most intelligently. 
The opportunity is clear. The question is whether your airport is ready to seize it.

<h2 class="text-text-100 mt-3 -mb-1 text-[1.375rem] font-bold">Identify revenue opportunities throughout the entire customer journey</h2>
Leading airports are already unlocking hidden commercial opportunities at every passenger touchpoint. Now you can too.
<a href="https://signup.ca.vu/travel-commercial-opportunities-infographic/?_gl=1*qyssiw*_ga*NzIwNTc0MjUuMTc2MDk2ODA3OQ..*_ga_QDM2BXW96D*czE3Njc5NzQ3NTckbzEyOCRnMSR0MTc2Nzk3NDg5MSRqMjMkbDAkaDA.">Download our free infographic</a> mapping the five critical stages of the passenger journey, from pre-trip anticipation to post-journey re-engagement, and discover exactly where to focus your commercial efforts for maximum impact:
Identify high-value moments across the entire journey – See exactly where leading airports are focusing their commercial efforts, from pre-trip anticipation to post-trip re-engagement.
Understand what passengers really value at each stage – Learn which opportunities drive the biggest impact, from stress-free travel planning to seamless onward connections.
Uncover hidden revenue potential – Discover overlooked touchpoints where targeted interventions can unlock significant commercial growth.
Benchmark your approach against industry leaders – Compare your current strategy against where forward-thinking airports are investing their resources.
Build the foundation for data-driven decisions – Understand how unified data transforms fragmented passenger insights into actionable commercial intelligence.
<a href="https://signup.ca.vu/travel-commercial-opportunities-infographic/?_gl=1*qyssiw*_ga*NzIwNTc0MjUuMTc2MDk2ODA3OQ..*_ga_QDM2BXW96D*czE3Njc5NzQ3NTckbzEyOCRnMSR0MTc2Nzk3NDg5MSRqMjMkbDAkaDA.">Get Your Free Infographic</a>
<h2 class="text-text-100 mt-3 -mb-1 text-[1.125rem] font-bold">Register for our data strategy webinar</h2>
Ready to turn these insights into action? Learn how to build the data infrastructure that makes passenger journey optimisation possible.
Register to access &#8216;The Data Strategy Blueprint: Laying the Foundations for Commercial Growth&#8217; with Paris Bielby (Data Director, CAVU) and Jamal Karim (Lead Data Engineer, CAVU). The webinar recording will be delivered directly to your inbox on Wednesday, 18 March 2026.
You&#8217;ll learn:
<ul class="[li_&amp;]:mb-0 [li_&amp;]:mt-1.5 [li_&amp;]:gap-1.5 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-2 pl-8 mb-3">
<li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">What &#8216;good data&#8217; really looks like</li>
<li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">How to design cross-ecosystem data strategies</li>
<li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Tips for building robust data governance frameworks</li>
<li class="whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">How to enable faster, data-driven commercial decisions</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://signup.ca.vu/the-data-strategy-webinar/">Sign up now</a>, and we&#8217;ll email you a recording packed with actionable insights on the day of the webinar.
<a href="https://signup.ca.vu/the-data-strategy-webinar/">Register for the Webinar</a>

Discover how digital integration transforms pre-trip revenue. Learn 5 strategies to reduce passenger anxiety and drive bookings at your airport.

Hey Emmby Ruiky6SctL4 Unsplash

5 ways digital integration will transform pre-trip in 2026

2025 was a landmark year for CAVU. We expanded our global footprint with nine new lounges, advanced our technology platforms, and deepened partnerships across the travel ecosystem. Most importantly, we stayed focused on what matters most: creating better travel experiences for passengers and helping our partners unlock more revenue. 
Join us as we look back at a year shaped by growth, innovation, and the results that made 2025 a standout year for CAVU and our clients.
<h2 aria-level="2">Expanding experiences worldwide </h2>
This year, CAVU expanded its footprint with nine new lounge openings across three continents, including our first-ever locations in the Southern Hemisphere with new lounges in Brisbane and Cairns, Australia. 
We also opened new lounges in Bristol and Edinburgh in the UK, and Kansas City, Portland, San Juan, Tulsa, and Northwest Arkansas in the US. These openings contributed to a 30% increase in guest volume compared to 2024, while our average guest satisfaction increased from 4.5 to 4.6 out of five, across nearly 19,000 reviews. 
&#8220;Expanding to nine new locations while improving our guest satisfaction score to 4.6 shows that we&#8217;re not just growing, we&#8217;re elevating the standard of service guests experience at every touchpoint,&#8221; says Craig Pring, VP Growth &#8211; Experiences at CAVU. &#8220;The real impact is in those thousands of positive reviews and the guests who are choosing to start their journeys with us because they know they&#8217;ll receive an exceptional experience.&#8221; 
Welcoming more passengers while maintaining outstanding service takes care, coordination, and a team united around delivering exceptional experiences. The feedback shows our efforts are working.

<h2 aria-level="2">aether marks its first anniversary </h2>
In November, we celebrated the first anniversary of aether, our private terminal at Manchester Airport. Since opening, aether has redefined what airport travel can be, from private check-in and security to fine dining and luxurious chauffeured transfers directly to the gate. 
Each week, hundreds of guests experience aether&#8217;s seamless journey, but it&#8217;s the personal stories that truly capture its impact. 
“Several guests have told us that aether has given them the confidence to travel again, to visit family and friends, because they feel more comfortable using aether than navigating a large, busy terminal, while one guest told us that for the first time in years, they felt calm and confident flying,&#8221; says Heidi Stancliffe, Head of Product Strategy. &#8220;These stories show the real value of what we&#8217;ve created; we&#8217;re not just offering a premium service; we&#8217;re removing barriers and making travel accessible to people who might otherwise stay home.&#8221; 
In its first year, aether has welcomed travellers from around the world, partnered with a growing number of airlines, and set a new standard for privacy, comfort, and ease from door to gate.

<h2 aria-level="2">Propel powers millions of journeys </h2>
Behind every seamless booking is technology working quietly in the background. This year, our Propel distribution API powered over 70 million monthly product searches, delivering reliable, scalable solutions for clients worldwide. 
Richard Maunder, Head of Product at CAVU, reflected on the milestone year for our eCommerce platform: 
<blockquote>In 2025, Propel has significantly grown the number of customer sessions it is powering. The Propel Distribution API is now supporting over 70 million searches a month, up from 5 million at the start of the year, with an average response time of 0.9 seconds, down from over 2 seconds in January. 
&#8220;Increasing search volumes by 1,300% while reducing response times by 50% is an incredible accomplishment made possible by the hard work and expertise of CAVU&#8217;s performance testing, architecture, and product development teams.</blockquote>
Propel’s client base grew significantly during 2025, with <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/midland-airport-parking-ltd-propel/">Midlands Airport Parking Ltd </a>and <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/propel-sunshine-coast-airport/">Sunshine Coast Airport</a> among the 25 new clients we’ve onboarded across three continents. 
We also launched over 25 new product features designed to make life easier for both clients and passengers. From enabling real-time parking availability updates to helping airlines integrate lounge bookings at the point of sale, each feature solves a specific challenge. 
&#8220;Seeing Propel adapt to different markets and client needs shows us we&#8217;re solving real problems for our partners,&#8221; says Joel Godfrey, Digital Product Director at CAVU. &#8220;The impact goes beyond the technology itself; we&#8217;re helping airports generate meaningful revenue, giving travellers more control over their journey, and creating those seamless experiences that make travel less stressful and more enjoyable.&#8221; 
But these numbers only tell part of the story. The real measure is in how these tools help airports increase revenue, give travellers more choice, and make the booking process smoother from start to finish. 
That choice comes from the diverse inventory powering our platform.

<h2 aria-level="2">The growth of the Global Travel Marketplace </h2>
The Global Travel Marketplace, our growing inventory of travel products and services, sits at the heart of our offering, and this year it went from strength to strength. 
In March, we integrated Parkos, a leading European parking platform. The acquisition brought hundreds of parking locations across Europe into our network, giving travellers more choice and better access to off-airport parking options. 
&#8220;The Parkos acquisition has been transformational for both our customers and our business,&#8221; says Richard Hill, VP Growth &amp; Partnerships at CAVU. &#8220;By bringing together our complementary strengths, our technology platform and their extensive European parking network, we&#8217;ve been able to deliver significantly more choice and value to travellers. The millions of bookings processed since integration prove that when you focus on solving real customer needs, growth follows naturally.&#8221; 
Since integration, the combined platform has processed millions of parking bookings, demonstrating how strategic partnerships can create immediate value for customers. 
We also partnered with DataLex in June to integrate our ancillary offerings directly into their airline booking network, extending our reach to airlines and passengers worldwide. This collaboration enables seamless connectivity with carriers and their customers, strengthening both the reach and impact of our services. 
As our technology and partnerships evolved, so did our role in shaping broader industry conversations.

<h2 aria-level="2">Shaping the industry with shared expertise </h2>
Beyond building products, we&#8217;re committed to sharing what we&#8217;ve learned with the wider industry. 
This year, we published our first thought leadership guide, <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/pricing-guide/">Why Your Pricing Strategy is Costing You Revenue (And What to Do About It)</a>, helping airports rethink how they price parking and ancillary services to unlock additional revenue. We also hosted two webinars: <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/reimagining-airport-value-webinar/">Reimagining Airport Value: The Future of Revenue Beyond the Runway</a> and <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/maximise-revenue-webinar/">Actionable Tips for Maximising Revenue in an Evolving Market.</a> 
These thought leadership initiatives position us not just as a service provider, but as a partner invested in the success of the entire travel ecosystem. 
Of course, some of the most valuable exchanges happened not through webinars or publications, but through face-to-face conversations.

<h2 aria-level="2">An exciting year for in-person events </h2>
While digital tools power much of what we do, some of our most valuable insights came from in-person conversations this year. 
We attended 18 major industry events across three continents, from Dublin&#8217;s Future Travel Experience conference to FTE Asia in Singapore and ACI-NA&#8217;s Annual General Assembly in Toronto. Each event provided us with the opportunity to showcase our solutions, learn from our peers, and strengthen relationships with partners and clients. 
&#8220;Attending and exhibiting at these events has been pivotal in shaping our business development and strategy,&#8221; said Nolan Hough, Chief Growth Officer at CAVU. &#8220;They allow us to connect directly with our clients and partners, showcase our solutions, and understand the evolving needs of the industry first-hand.&#8221; 
One of the year&#8217;s highlights was our Customer Advisory Board (CAB) session in London, where airport leaders gathered to discuss shared challenges and opportunities. 
&#8220;Spending time with our clients face-to-face, working through their challenges and priorities, ensures we&#8217;re building solutions that create genuine value,&#8221; reflects Joel Godfrey, Digital Product Director. &#8220;The CAB shapes how we think about impact; it&#8217;s not just about what features we can build but about understanding the business outcomes our clients need and the passenger experiences they want to deliver. That perspective makes us better partners and drives us to create more meaningful solutions.&#8221; 
With events already on our 2026 calendar, we look forward to sharing more insights and expanding our industry network. 
While we were connecting with the industry globally, our teams were also making an impact closer to home. 
This year, team members dedicated over 1,665 hours to volunteering initiatives, from food bank support in Manchester to environmental cleanups in Brisbane and community programmes across our US locations. 
&#8220;Our volunteering hours reflect the values of our people and our commitment to making a meaningful impact where we operate,&#8221; says Nolan Hough. &#8220;It&#8217;s inspiring to see the team come together to give back.&#8221;

<h2 aria-level="2">Looking ahead to 2026 </h2>
As 2025 ends, we’re excited for the next chapter of growth, including expanding our lounge portfolio, deepening our technology capabilities, and exploring new markets. 
This year proved that growth and care can coexist. We expanded our reach while improving the travel experience and creating new opportunities for our partners. We scaled our technology while keeping individual passenger needs at the centre and pursued ambitious goals while staying grounded in the communities we serve. 
2025 was a year of progress for CAVU, but also one defined by human stories. From helping guests find the confidence to fly again through aether to unlocking new possibilities through partnerships with Datalex and Parkos, the impact of our work has been felt in meaningful ways. 
2026 is about building on this momentum, not just growing bigger, but getting better at what matters most: making every journey smoother, every experience more memorable, and every passenger feel valued.

Explore how CAVU expanded lounges, powered millions of journeys, and transformed travel experiences for passengers and partners in 2025.

Joshua Hoehne OmMYkMw38tU Unsplash

2025: A year of growth, innovation, and momentum

The festive season fundamentally reshapes demand across every airport. Passenger behaviour shifts, booking patterns become less predictable, and dwell times fluctuate in ways that don&#8217;t follow the usual trends. For airport operators, this seasonal complexity creates both significant challenges and untapped opportunities. 
The scale of the festive travel surge is substantial. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened nearly 39 million passengers between 19 December and 2 January in the 2024-25 period, marking the agency&#8217;s busiest end-of-year travel period on record. This represents a significant opportunity for airport parking revenue, with parking representing approximately 37% of all <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/non-aeronautical-revenue-what-it-is-why-its-essential-and-how-it-boosts-airports-earnings/">non-aeronautical revenue</a> generated within North American airports in 2021, according to Airports Council International. 
While many airports rely on the same pricing structures year-round, the festive period demands a more sophisticated approach. The difference between <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/the-hidden-cost-of-flat-pricing-and-how-dynamic-pricing-helps/">flat pricing</a> and <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/why-is-dynamic-pricing-in-car-parks-key-to-boosting-revenue/">dynamic, demand-responsive pricing</a> can mean the difference between maximising your second-largest revenue stream and leaving substantial money on the table. 
Here are five practical ways to strengthen your parking revenue strategy during the festive period.

<h3>1) Use real-time price adjustments based on booking volume</h3>
Booking behaviour becomes inconsistent in December, with some airports seeing uplifts of 20-35% in booking volume week-on-week. This kind of volatility makes static pricing ineffective at best and revenue-limiting at worst. Traditional approaches that rely on fixed rate cards can&#8217;t respond to the rapid demand fluctuations at this time of year. 
For the 2024 holiday season, the TSA expected a 6.2% increase over the previous year&#8217;s crowds, but this growth wasn&#8217;t evenly distributed across dates. The unpredictability of which dates will see the highest demand requires pricing systems that can adapt in real-time rather than relying on historical patterns alone. 
Research into pricing dynamics across industries shows the value of responsive pricing. When American Airlines first used revenue management and dynamic pricing systems in 1985, the result led to income increases of more than 14% and profit increases of 48% in the first year. 
Start by monitoring your booking pace daily rather than weekly. Set up alerts when booking numbers for specific dates exceeds historical norms by 15% or more; this is your signal to review pricing. Don&#8217;t wait for weekly revenue meetings to make adjustments. 
Create pricing rules that automatically increase rates when your booking velocity indicates strong demand. For example, if you&#8217;re seeing bookings for Christmas Eve at 130% of last year&#8217;s pace and you&#8217;re already at 60% capacity, your pricing should reflect that scarcity immediately, not three days later when you review your weekly reports. 
Conversely, establish triggers to soften pricing when bookings are tracking below expectations. If Boxing Day departures are only achieving 70% of the anticipated volume two weeks out, that&#8217;s when you need to become more competitive to drive volume before the window closes. 
The key is building responsiveness into your pricing workflow. This doesn&#8217;t require sophisticated software to start; even a spreadsheet tracking daily bookings against targets can tell you when to act. The critical shift is moving from scheduled pricing reviews to continuous monitoring and rapid response.

<h3>2) Reduce your pricing review cycles</h3>
Many airports still operate on weekly or even monthly pricing cycles, adjusting rates based on broad seasonal patterns. However, during the festive period, this approach limits your revenue and profitability. 
Airports using shorter pricing cycles can unlock between 5-10% incremental revenue by reacting earlier to shifts in the booking curve. Arthur D. Little research indicates that yield management systems in combination with early reservation discounts can increase parking revenues by 6% to 8% yearly while optimising capacity utilisation. 
Reduce your pricing review frequency from weekly to every 2-3 days during the peak festive booking window (typically mid-November through early December for Christmas travel). This doesn&#8217;t mean changing prices constantly; rather, it means having the visibility to make informed decisions more frequently. 
Set up a simple daily dashboard that shows: 
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Bookings in the last 24 hours vs. the same day last year </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Current occupancy vs. expected occupancy for each travel date </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Competitive pricing positions (if you monitor competitors) </li>
</ul>
Schedule brief pricing reviews every 48 hours, where you ask three questions: 
<ol>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="%1." data-font="Aptos" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335551671&quot;:1,&quot;335552541&quot;:0,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[65533,0,46],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;%1.&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Are we tracking ahead or behind the forecast for each major travel date? </li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="%1." data-font="Aptos" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335551671&quot;:1,&quot;335552541&quot;:0,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[65533,0,46],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;%1.&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Have any significant booking pattern changes emerged in the last two days? </li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="%1." data-font="Aptos" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335551671&quot;:1,&quot;335552541&quot;:0,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[65533,0,46],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;%1.&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Do any prices need adjustment based on this data? </li>
</ol>
This approach allows you to catch demand shifts early. If you notice on Monday that bookings for the 23rd December suddenly accelerated over the weekend, you can adjust Tuesday morning pricing rather than waiting until Friday&#8217;s weekly review.

<h3>3) Identify and price your early-booking window separately</h3>
Festive travellers book earlier, and pre-book conversions rise by up to 40% in the run-up to Christmas. According to Google Flights data, US travellers who book domestic Christmas trips score the lowest prices 58 days before departure, with the low-price range between 36 and 72 days out. 
Recent surveys showed that 45% of American adults intended to travel for Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, representing nearly 117 million people. The majority of these travellers begin their planning well in advance, creating distinct early-booking windows that savvy airports can use. 
Map your historical booking curve for the past 2-3 years to identify exactly when festive bookings begin accelerating. Look for the point where booking volume starts climbing noticeably above baseline; this is typically 60-90 days before Christmas. 
Create a distinct pricing strategy for this early window. Rather than offering the same rates you&#8217;ll have closer to departure, hold firmer pricing when you first open bookings. Early bookers are planning because they value certainty, not necessarily because they&#8217;re hunting for the absolute lowest price. 
For example, if you typically open bookings 120 days out, consider pricing the 120-90-day window at 5-10% above your standard advance rates. These passengers are committing early to secure their preferred dates and product and less price-sensitive than the market booking 30 days out. 
Then create a clear pricing path for the remaining windows: 
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">90-60 days out: Standard advance purchase rates (your competitive positioning) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">60-30 days out: Slightly elevated rates as travel dates approach and urgency increases </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">30-7 days out: Premium pricing reflecting late booking behaviour </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">7 days and under: Maximum pricing for last-minute demand </li>
</ul>
Track conversion rates by booking window. If your early window conversion drops below 60% of your 60-30-day window, you may be overpricing. If it&#8217;s above 90%, you&#8217;re likely leaving money on the table with passengers who would have paid more.

<h3>4) Build length-of-stay pricing curves that reflect festive behaviour</h3>
Dwell times often increase by 12-18% during December as passengers extend their stays for family visits and holiday trips. Airport Council International&#8217;s 2019 reports indicated that car parking revenue accounts for approximately 20.1% of the total ancillary revenue of an airport, with smaller airports seeing parking provide 41% of landside revenues. 
This makes length-of-stay optimisation essential for maximising one of the airport&#8217;s most significant revenue streams. 
Analyse your parking stays from last December and identify the typical length-of-stay distribution. You&#8217;ll likely find a different pattern than your annual average; more 7-14 day stays, fewer 2-3 day stays. 
With this in mind, build a festive-specific length-of-stay pricing curve. Most airports use simple daily rates with linear or near-linear accumulation (day 1 = £X, day 2 = £2X, etc.). During the festive period, flatten this curve for longer stays. 
Here&#8217;s a practical approach: 
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Calculate your average revenue per space per day for December last year </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Design your rates so that 7-10 day stays generate at or above this average </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Offer minimal discounting beyond 7 days (perhaps 5-10% maximum) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Front-load pricing in the first 3-4 days, then flatten the curve </li>
</ul>
For example, instead of charging £15/day consistently: 
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Days 1-2: £18/day (£36 total) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Days 3-4: £16/day (£32 for these two days, £68 total) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Days 5-7: £14/day (£42 for these three days, £110 total) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="5" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Days 8+: £13/day (ongoing) </li>
</ul>
This structure generates £110 for a week vs. £105 with flat £15 daily rates, while still offering better value for longer stays (14 days = £201 vs. £210). 
The key takeaway? During the festive period, when longer stays naturally dominate, reduce your length-of-stay discounting. You don&#8217;t need to incentivise behaviour that&#8217;s already happening. Save aggressive length-of-stay discounts for shoulder periods when you&#8217;re trying to encourage longer stays to improve occupancy.

<h3>5) Audit and align your channel pricing</h3>
Airports that combine pre-book, drive-up, and partner channels typically see a 15-25% uplift in total parking revenue. Revenues from airport parking typically represent between 5% and 15% of total airport revenue and up to 30% of non-aeronautical revenues. Channel leakage during the busy festive period can therefore have significant impacts on overall airport financial performance. 
When channels aren&#8217;t aligned, you create pricing inconsistencies that lead to revenue leakage and reduce overall yield. This problem intensifies during the festive season when passengers are comparison shopping more actively. 
Create a channel pricing matrix that you review every 2-3 days during the festive period. List all your channels (direct web, phone bookings, partner sites, aggregators, drive-up) and the current rates for key travel dates. 
Establish clear relationships between channels: 
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Drive-up should be your price ceiling (highest rates) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Direct online pre-book should sit 20-30% below drive-up </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Partner channels should be 5-15% below direct (reflecting their commission but maintaining value) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="6" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Aggregators should be priced in line with partners or slightly higher </li>
</ul>
During each review, check for inconsistencies. Common issues to watch: 
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="7" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Partner rates that undercut your direct online rates (channel cannibalisation) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="7" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Drive-up rates so high that they create abandonment (monitor your gate turn-away data) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="7" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Aggregator pricing that&#8217;s better than direct (margin leakage) </li>
</ul>
If you find a channel out of alignment, correct it immediately. For example, if a partner site is showing £80 for Christmas week parking while your direct site shows £95, but you intended a 15% differential, adjust the partner rate to £81 (£95 minus 15%) for new bookings. 
Also audit your drive-up vs. pre-book relationship weekly. Calculate your drive-up conversion rate (cars that arrive vs. cars that turn away). If it drops below 85%, your drive-up premium may be too high. If it&#8217;s above 95%, you&#8217;re likely not capturing enough last-minute premium. 
The goal isn&#8217;t identical pricing across channels, it&#8217;s coherent pricing that maximises total revenue while serving each channel&#8217;s purpose effectively.

<h3 aria-level="2">Turn seasonal demand into stronger commercial outcomes</h3>
The festive season doesn&#8217;t have to be a guessing game. With the right approach to pricing, you can turn seasonal complexity into clearer revenue opportunities, stronger pricing decisions, and more predictable commercial outcomes. 
The airports that succeed during the festive period aren&#8217;t simply those with the most capacity or the best locations; they&#8217;re the ones with pricing strategies sophisticated enough to capture the full value of seasonal demand. They recognise that the festive period requires a fundamentally different approach to pricing, one that embraces volatility rather than trying to smooth it away with static rate cards. 
This means moving from reactive to proactive pricing, from gut instinct to data-driven decision-making, and from channel silos to unified commercial strategy. It means treating pricing as a strategic capability rather than an operational task, investing in the tools and platforms that enable dynamic, demand-responsive pricing at scale. 
The commercial opportunity is significant. Given that airport parking activities typically generate substantial operational margins and cash flow due to relatively low capital and operational expenditures, optimising pricing during the busiest travel period of the year can have an outsized impact on overall airport profitability.

<h2 aria-level="2">Get invaluable pricing expertise with our free guide </h2>
Download our free guide: <a href="https://signup.ca.vu/pricing-guide-signup/">Why Your Pricing Strategy Is Costing You Revenue (and What to Do About It)</a> and learn more about building a pricing strategy that works harder for your business. 
You&#8217;ll discover how to: 
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Identify hidden revenue gaps – Spot where static pricing is limiting growth and online conversion across all seasons, not just peak periods </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Apply smarter pricing models – Use dynamic rules and segmentation to align price with demand throughout the booking curve </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Build a scalable framework – Create a pricing structure that flexes with seasonality and passenger behaviour without requiring constant manual intervention </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Capture quick wins – Implement simple changes that deliver measurable uplift in the short term while building toward longer-term transformation </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1">Drive long-term growth – Turn pricing from an operational task into a strategic advantage that compounds over time </li>
</ul>
The guide provides expert-led guidance on moving from reactive to revenue-driving pricing with practical frameworks you can apply right away. Whether you&#8217;re just beginning to explore dynamic pricing or looking to optimise an existing strategy, you&#8217;ll find actionable insights that can improve your commercial performance. 
Don&#8217;t let outdated pricing hold your revenue back.
<a href="https://signup.ca.vu/pricing-guide-signup/">Get your copy now</a> and start maximising every parking opportunity, during the festive season and beyond.

Discover five invaluable tips to support your airport's pricing strategy this holiday season. 

Daniil Onischenko SHvhTFQIGsU Unsplash

Five festive pricing tips your airport can’t afford to overlook

The holiday season represents the highest-stakes period in airport parking. Demand surges, passengers are price-sensitive yet anxious about availability, and every decision you make about pricing and capacity has an immediate, visible impact on your bottom line. 
Yet many airports approach this critical period with the same strategy they use year-round: static pricing, limited online booking capabilities, and a hope that drive-up traffic will fill the gaps. It&#8217;s a strategy that leaves significant revenue on the table precisely when you can least afford to do so. 
The airports getting it right this holiday season aren&#8217;t just offering pre-booking as an option. They&#8217;re building their entire holiday parking strategy around it, using pre-booking as the engine that drives better pricing, smoother operations, and stronger revenue performance. 
Here&#8217;s why pre-booking matters more during the holidays than at any other time of year, and how you can make it work for your operation.

<h2 aria-level="2">Why usual parking strategies can fall short during the holidays </h2>
Holiday travel creates a perfect storm of parking challenges that expose the weaknesses of traditional, drive-up-focused operations.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:299,&quot;335559739&quot;:299,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
Demand becomes wildly unpredictable. You know the holiday period will be busy, but without bookings, you can&#8217;t distinguish between &#8220;very busy&#8221; and &#8220;completely sold out&#8221; until passengers start arriving. This makes staffing decisions difficult, creates potential safety issues when facilities overflow, and leads to frustrated passengers who arrive to find no available spaces. 
Price sensitivity peaks alongside willingness to pay. Holiday travellers are budget-conscious; they&#8217;re spending on gifts, travel, and accommodation. Yet they&#8217;re also desperate for convenience and certainty. This creates a complex pricing environment where you need to balance competitive rates with demand-based pricing, a task that static pricing can’t achieve. 
Operational strain intensifies. Holiday periods test your systems, staff, and processes in ways normal operations don&#8217;t. Without visibility into demand, you&#8217;re either overstaffed and burning budget or understaffed and creating service failures. Neither scenario is acceptable during your busiest revenue period. 
Competition increases from off-site operators. Third-party parking providers become more aggressive during holidays, often undercutting airport rates or offering enhanced services. Without a strong pre-booking value proposition, you&#8217;re vulnerable to losing market share when it matters most.
The airports that succeed during the holidays recognise these challenges early and build strategies specifically designed to address them. The sooner you realise that pre-booking is the solution, and not a part of the solution, the better.

<h2 aria-level="2">Why is pre-booking useful during the holiday rush? </h2>
When you implement pre-booking effectively, it transforms how you manage holiday parking demand. Here&#8217;s what changes: 
You gain predictability in an unpredictable period. Every pre-booking gives you advance visibility into demand patterns. You can see peak arrival and departure days, popular product types, and booking velocity. This data allows you to make informed decisions about pricing, capacity allocation, and resource deployment days or weeks in advance rather than reacting in real-time. 
You can optimise pricing dynamically. With pre-booking data, you can implement demand-based pricing that maximises revenue, rewarding early bookers. As capacity fills and departure dates approach, rates adjust upward to reflect scarcity. This approach captures willingness to pay across different passenger segments while ensuring you&#8217;re not leaving money on the table during peak periods. 
Your operational efficiency improves dramatically. When you know in advance that December 20th will have 800 arrivals and December 27th will have 900 departures, you can staff accordingly. You can plan shuttle schedules, prepare overflow areas if needed, and communicate proactively with passengers. The chaos of &#8220;surprise&#8221; demand disappears. 
You create competitive advantages. Pre-booking allows you to offer guarantees that drive-up facilities can&#8217;t match: guaranteed space, locked-in pricing, faster entry and exit, and the peace of mind that comes from having one less thing to worry about during holiday travel. These benefits resonate strongly with holiday travellers and help you compete effectively against off-site operators. 
Your revenue per space increases. According to management consulting firm Arthur D. Little, implementing yield management systems alongside early reservation discounts can increase revenues by 6% to 8% annually. During the high-volume holiday period, even modest percentage improvements translate to substantial absolute revenue gains. 
The key is recognising that these benefits don&#8217;t happen automatically. They require deliberate strategy and the right technology foundation.

<h2 aria-level="2">Five ways airports are using pre-book during the holidays</h2>
The airports that thrive during the holidays share common approaches to pre-booking.  
Here&#8217;s what they do differently:
<h3>1. Holiday campaigns are launched early</h3>
The best-performing airports don&#8217;t wait until December to promote holiday parking. They begin marketing pre-booking options in October, targeting passengers who are planning holiday travel. Early campaigns create awareness, establish the value proposition, and begin capturing bookings while passengers are still in planning mode rather than panic mode. 
These campaigns emphasise the dual benefits of pre-booking: better rates for early commitment and guaranteed availability during the busiest travel period of the year. The messaging is clear, the booking process is frictionless, and the value is immediately apparent.
<h3>2. Tiered pricing capture different segments</h3>
Smart airports recognise that holiday travellers aren&#8217;t the same. Some book flights six months in advance. Others wait until the last minute. Some are extremely price-sensitive. Others prioritise convenience above all else. 
Tiered pricing through pre-booking allows you to serve all these segments profitably. Early bird rates capture the planners. Standard pre-book rates serve the mainstream. Last-minute pre-book rates (still better than drive-up) capture late deciders. Drive-up rates remain the highest, incentivising advance booking while still serving walk-up customers. 
This approach, supported by <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/the-hidden-cost-of-flat-pricing-and-how-dynamic-pricing-helps/">dynamic pricing</a> rules, ensures you&#8217;re maximising revenue from every customer segment without leaving capacity unused.
<h3>3. Products are bundled to increase basket size</h3>
Holiday travellers are already spending money and making decisions about their trip. This creates a perfect opportunity for you to bundle parking with other airport services, including lounges, fast-track security, and meet-and-greet services, particularly if you&#8217;re looking to increase basket size and generate more <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/non-aeronautical-revenue-what-it-is-why-its-essential-and-how-it-boosts-airports-earnings/">non-aeronautical revenue</a> through upselling and cross-selling. 
Pre-booking platforms make bundling seamless. A passenger booking parking sees relevant add-ons at the moment of purchase, when they&#8217;re already committed, and their payment information is entered. Conversion rates on bundled products are significantly higher than when you sell these services separately or on arrival. 
For airports that are still developing their commercial programmes, this represents a straightforward way to increase revenue per customer without complex new initiatives or significant operational changes.
<h3>4. Proactive communications are used proactively throughout the journey</h3>
Pre-booking creates a direct communication channel with your passengers. Smart airports use this to enhance the experience and reduce operational friction. 
Confirmation emails with clear directions and what to expect, reminder messages a few days before arrival, real-time updates if there are any service changes, and post-visit surveys to gather feedback, deliver a more <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/personalised-travel/">personalised passenger experience</a>, reinforce the value of pre-booking and improve satisfaction, and increase the likelihood passengers will pre-book again.
<h3>5. Performance is analysed consistently</h3>
Top-performing airports use <a href="https://ca.vu/insights/how-can-data-and-tech-reshape-passenger-experiences/">data-driven approaches and technology</a> to improve the passenger experience. They track conversion rates by traffic source, analyse booking windows and price sensitivity, identify which products perform best and which marketing messages resonate most strongly. 
This data becomes the foundation for continuous improvement. Each holiday season performs better than the last because lessons learned inform next year&#8217;s strategy. This is particularly valuable if you&#8217;re concerned about keeping up with technology and maximising non-aeronautical revenue; pre-booking provides both the modern platform and the revenue growth mechanism.

<h2 aria-level="2">Common concerns about holiday pre-booking </h2>
Despite the clear benefits, some airports hesitate to fully embrace pre-booking during the holidays. Your concerns are understandable but generally unfounded when systems are properly implemented. 
&#8220;What if we oversell and can&#8217;t honour bookings?&#8221; Modern pre-booking platforms include inventory management controls that prevent overselling. You set capacity limits by product type and date. The system stops accepting bookings when limits are reached and you maintain full control while gaining the benefits of advance sales. 
&#8220;Our passengers prefer drive-up and won&#8217;t change their behaviour.&#8221; Passenger behaviour follows incentives. If pre-booking offers no advantage, behaviour won&#8217;t change. But when pre-booking delivers better rates, guaranteed space, and faster processing, behaviour shifts quickly. European airports report online penetration rates exceeding 60% in mature markets by making pre-booking demonstrably better than alternatives. 
&#8220;We don&#8217;t have the staff or systems to manage pre-booking.&#8221; This concern often reflects experience with outdated or poorly designed systems. Modern platforms like Propel are specifically designed to improve your operational efficiency. Automated inventory management, integrated payment processing, and self-service customer management mean pre-booking requires less staff intervention than managing drive-up capacity in real-time. 
&#8220;We&#8217;re not ready to implement this for the upcoming holidays.&#8221; While ideal implementation takes planning, you can launch basic pre-booking capabilities relatively quickly, particularly if you&#8217;re working with experienced partners who&#8217;ve done this many times before. Even partial pre-booking adoption during the holidays can deliver meaningful results and provide learning for future seasons.

<h2 aria-level="2">What you need for a successful pre-booking approach </h2>
Successful holiday pre-booking requires three core elements: 
<h3>1. The right technology platform </h3>
You need a booking system that&#8217;s fast, mobile-optimised, and integrated with your operations. The passenger experience must be seamless; any obstacles during the booking process will prompt your customers to seek an alternative solution. The platform must also give you control over pricing, inventory, and reporting so you can manage performance actively rather than hoping for the best. 
Solutions like <a href="https://ca.vu/platform/">Propel</a> are purpose-built for airport environments, handling the specific requirements of parking operations while enabling the flexibility needed for sophisticated holiday strategies. 
<a href="https://ca.vu/platform/">Propel</a> delivers the core capabilities that make pre-booking successful: seamless booking flows that let passengers browse, book, and pay in just a few clicks; flexible pricing management that lets you sell the right products at the right prices with detailed reporting at every step; crystal-clear insights so you always know when inventory is approaching capacity or when certain products need promotion; and the ability to bundle parking with other services like lounges and fast-track security to increase basket size during high-value holiday bookings. 
<h3>2. Strategic pricing frameworks </h3>
Technology alone isn&#8217;t enough. You need pricing strategies that incentivise early booking, maximise yield during peak periods, and remain competitive throughout. This means understanding your market, analysing competitor pricing, and implementing dynamic rules that adjust rates based on demand signals and booking windows. 
If you&#8217;re struggling with revenue management or operating with limited systems, this is where expert guidance becomes valuable. The difference between good and great pricing can represent millions in annual revenue. 
<h3>3. Clear communication and marketing </h3>
Your passengers won&#8217;t pre-book if they don&#8217;t know it&#8217;s an option or don&#8217;t understand the benefits. Your holiday pre-booking campaign needs to start early, communicate clearly, and appear consistently across channels: website, email, social media, and even on-airport signage. 
Your message should emphasise both rational benefits (better rates, guaranteed space) and emotional benefits (peace of mind, one less thing to worry about during stressful holiday travel). 
If your parking strategy doesn&#8217;t centre on pre-booking, you have a decision to make. You can continue with business as usual and accept the revenue, operational, and passenger experience limitations that come with it. Or you can commit to building pre-booking capabilities that position your parking operation for sustainable success. 
The holiday season will be busy regardless. The question is whether that high demand translates to optimised revenue and satisfied passengers, or to missed opportunities, and frustrated customers who remember the experience and avoid your parking next time. 
Many airports are opting to embrace pre-booking because the data, passenger feedback, and financial results all point in the same direction: Pre-booking works. It works for revenue. It works for operations. It works for passengers. And it works especially well during the holidays when the stakes are highest.

<h2 aria-level="2">Ready to build a smarter parking strategy? </h2>
Stop leaving revenue on the table with static pricing that doesn&#8217;t respond to holiday demand. 
Our comprehensive guide, <a href="https://signup.ca.vu/pricing-guide-signup/">Why Your Pricing Strategy is Costing You Revenue (And What to Do About It)</a>, shows you exactly how to build pricing strategies that support pre-booking and maximise holiday revenue. 
Inside, you&#8217;ll discover: 
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">How to identify hidden revenue gaps where static pricing is limiting your growth and online conversion </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Smart pricing models that use dynamic rules and segmentation to align price with demand </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">A scalable framework that flexes with seasonality and passenger behaviour, perfect for holiday peaks </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Quick wins you can implement immediately to deliver measurable uplift </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1">How to turn pricing from an operational burden into a strategic advantage </li>
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Learn how a pre-booking pricing strategy can boost revenue, lock in demand, smooth operations, and guarantee passengers peace of mind this holiday season.

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Why pre-booking should be a key priority for your airport this holiday season

Airports across the APAC region are facing unprecedented competition for passengers and revenue. 
Changing traveller expectations, new mobility options, and the need to maximise every revenue opportunity are reshaping how airports operate. 
At FTE Asia 2025, Josh Bakhbakhi, Vice President of Growth – APAC at CAVU, will share his insights on how collaboration and commercial innovation are driving sustainable growth in the region. 
We caught up with Josh ahead of the event to explore the opportunities and challenges for airports and to hear his advice on how they can use partnerships, data, and innovation to unlock new revenue streams and improve the passenger experience. 
CAVU: You’ll be speaking at FTE Asia 2025 on collaboration and innovation in the APAC region. From your experience, why are these themes so critical for airports here today? 
Josh: Airports across the globe are facing unprecedented competition for passengers and revenue, with evolving traveller expectations and new mobility options.  
Collaboration and innovation are critical because no single stakeholder, whether an airport, airline or technology provider, can deliver growth alone. 
By working together and experimenting with new commercial models, airports can not only optimise existing assets like parking and lounges but also create entirely new revenue streams that improve the passenger experience. 
CAVU: As Vice President of Growth for APAC at CAVU, you’ve worked closely with airports and partners across the region. What shifts are you seeing in how they approach revenue generation and new business opportunities? 
Josh: I’m seeing a real shift from reactive revenue management to proactive, data-driven commercial strategies. Airports are moving beyond traditional aeronautical revenue and looking at how to monetise every touchpoint in the passenger journey. 
Pre-booking, dynamic pricing, ancillary bundles, and integrated offers with airlines or mobility providers are becoming standard tools rather than exceptions. There’s also a stronger focus on using digital platforms to understand and influence passenger behaviour before they even arrive at the terminal.<span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}"> 
CAVU: Collaboration often sounds simple, but can be hard to achieve. What common obstacles have you seen in APAC and how have airports successfully overcome them? 
Josh: Collaboration can be deceptively hard. Common obstacles include siloed teams, misaligned commercial incentives, or legacy technology that doesn’t integrate easily.  
Airports that succeed tend to focus on shared KPIs and clear governance, making sure all parties see the mutual benefit. 
For example, aligning the commercial teams of the airport and technology partner around incremental revenue and passenger satisfaction creates accountability and shared motivation.

CAVU: Innovation always carries some level of risk. In your view, how can airports strike the right balance between experimenting with new ideas and protecting their core business? 
Josh: Innovation always carries risk, but it’s about measured experimentation. Successful airports run pilots in controlled segments, for example, testing dynamic parking pricing or ancillary bundles with a subset of products or at specific terminals, and use real-time analytics to monitor impact. This allows them to innovate without jeopardising core operations and scale only what works. 
CAVU: Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest untapped opportunities for APAC airports to unlock new revenue streams? 
Josh: There’s significant untapped potential in the broader mobility and ancillary ecosystem. Many airports focus on passengers who already use parking or lounges, but modal share analysis often shows that a large proportion still arrive via rideshare, taxi or public transport. 
Converting even a fraction of those passengers, or bundling services such as fast track, lounge access, and EV charging, could unlock substantial revenue. Subscription models, loyalty-linked offers, and digital-first pre-booking experiences are also under-exploited in the region. 
CAVU: Not every airport has the scale or resources of a major hub. What practical steps can smaller airports take to foster innovation and collaboration without stretching themselves too thin? 
Josh: Smaller airports may not have the scale of a major hub, but they can still innovate smartly. Start with partnerships and use technology providers and airlines to test new ideas without heavy upfront investment. 
Focus on high-impact, low-complexity initiatives, for instance, introducing pre-booking for parking, simple lounge upsells, or bundling services. Using data to understand customer behaviour and optimise existing offerings often delivers more immediate ROI than big, resource-intensive projects. 
CAVU: Without giving too much away from your session, what is the one key message you hope the FTE Asia audience will take with them? 
Josh: If there’s one thing I hope the audience takes away, it’s this: growth at airports today isn’t just about infrastructure, it’s about working together, experimenting smartly, and using digital tools to unlock revenue across every touchpoint of the passenger journey. Collaboration and innovation are no longer optional; they’re the engines for sustainable, future-proof growth. 
<h2 aria-level="2">Discover how to unlock new revenue at FTE Asia 2025 </h2>
Collaboration and innovation are essential for airports aiming to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. 
Josh’s insights show that by experimenting smartly, partnering effectively, and using data to drive commercial strategies, airports can unlock new revenue across every touchpoint of the passenger journey. 
If you’re attending FTE Asia 2025, don’t miss Josh on the panel discussion, ‘Embracing collaboration and commercial innovation to create new revenue and business opportunities.’  
You can also meet the CAVU team at Booth D9 to explore how your airport can turn smarter partnerships into profitable opportunities. 
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Learn how APAC airports can boost revenue via collaboration, innovation, and smarter commercial strategies, as we count down to FTE Asia 2025. 

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