A traditional airport departures hall during a peak travel period may bring to mind long check-in queues, stressed staff and unhappy passengers. Quebec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) is moving beyond that scene by implementing next-generation Amadeus technology, managed by Cofely, which will provide a more efficient passenger departure experience.
Amadeus’ cloud-based solution, the Amadeus Airport Common Use Service (ACUS), revolutionizes check-in technology by using application virtualization to allow passenger processing services to be accessed and deployed via any web browser, from any laptop or mobile device. This technology gives airport staff, including airlines and ground handlers, operational flexibility to respond to peak demand, even being able to remotely check in passengers in the case of irregular operations.
In addition, Amadeus and Cofely will deploy self-service kiosks throughout the airport, enabling a smoother experience for passengers – and an end to those lengthy queues.
“Our focus is on the traveler experience. An airport has to be flexible to respond to the constant flux in passenger volumes, and the difference is in the service we provide. That’s why we are investing in Amadeus’ cloud technology and working with Cofely as our site manager to deliver a personalized experience for each traveler,” says Marc-André Bédard, Vice-President Information Technology at Aéroport de Québec inc. (AQi).
“Cofely has worked with the Quebec City airport for a number of years, providing baggage system software and managing the operations of the baggage system,” comments Cofely Vice President Pierre Loyer. “The cloud-based Amadeus approach makes a lot of sense, and is completely manageable with Cofely’s existing airport personnel.”
ACUS will also deliver a number of other benefits to YQB airport including substantial cost and energy savings by removing the need for costly on-site servers and their associated maintenance and by reducing the operational costs associated with traditional airport IT systems. The remotely hosted platform means that YQB can make the most of its infrastructure and use resources more efficiently.
“ACUS dramatically increases operational efficiencies for airports, airlines and ground handlers, while improving the airport experience for the traveler. Airports around the world are increasingly harnessing the power of the cloud to deliver benefits for all their stakeholders,” says John Jarrell, Head of Airport IT at Amadeus. “We are very pleased to be working with the airport and Cofely to see its successful implementation.”
“We are providing local support not only for the implementation and technical support of the shared infrastructure check-in solution but throughout the life cycle of the airport’s journey to global passenger self-service,” highlights Loyer. “This support will allow us to work closely with all the stakeholders and address their concerns and needs proactively, providing a quick transition. We will provide a world-class solution combining the efficiency of a cloud-based solution and the proximity of our support team.”
