Hamad International Airport (HIA) has received the “Best Passenger Experience Initiative” silver award at the Future Travel Experience (FTE) Asia Awards 2019, held in Singapore on November 12, in recognition for the second phase of its Smart Airport Program.
The FTE awards celebrate airports and airlines that have displayed true industry leadership and delivered significant improvements in the travel experience at multiple touchpoints.
The 5th FTE Asia Awards ceremony took place at FTE – APEX Asia EXPO 2019, at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, and recognised HIA’s continued commitment to unlocking the power of technology to deliver the airport-of-the-future. Winners were selected by a panel of industry executives from around the world.
In line with the five-star airport’s digital transformation strategy, the Smart Airport Program deploys passenger-centric innovative technologies to provide fast, seamless and enjoyable travel experience for global travellers. The second phase of the program takes a holistic approach to identity management and lays the foundations of a wide-scale deployment of biometric capability across both mandated and voluntary passenger touch points while addressing customer data privacy concerns in line with relevant local and international regulations.
The award-winning initiative, currently under trial, combines passengers’ flight, passport, and facial biometric information in a single electronic record at the self-check-in kiosk or mobile app. Subsequently, only the passenger’s face is required for verification at the self-service bag-drop, automated security gate, and the automated boarding gate.
Commenting on the award, Abdulaziz Al Mass, Vice-President Communication and Marketing at HIA said: “With passengers at the heart of our strategy, HIA stays at the forefront of technology to deploy sophisticated and innovative solutions that offer an unparalleled travel experience. Fuelling the passenger experience with choice and flexibility through smart technology, automation, and self-service, we solidify our position as the airport-of-choice for global travellers.”
The successful completion of the first phase of HIA’s Smart Airport Program has proven to be extremely popular, with up to 40 percent of the home carrier Qatar Airways’ passengers preferring to self-check-in; and a further 20 percent opting for self-bag-drop. The swift process vastly improves customer experience and allows more passengers to be managed without physical expansion of the check-in facilities. It also empowers HIA passengers by offering total control of their journey from arrival to departure.