Seamless by design

Airport Dimensions CEO, Mignon Buckingham, considers how blending digital and physical will transform the airport experience.

As complex operational hubs, a defining challenge for airports is how seamlessly they can blend physical spaces with digital touchpoints to shape the traveller journey.

Our latest edition of the Airport Experience (AX25) research, based on insights from over 10,000 regular travellers across 16 countries, shows that while traveller satisfaction is increasing, clear friction points remain. Crowding, disconnected services, and concerns about value persist, especially among affluent leisure travellers, a smaller share of passengers but the group that drives the bulk of spending.

Global passenger volumes are set to more than double in the coming decades, and crowding is already a pressing concern, with 66% of passengers saying airports feel busier than ever.

When speaking with 100 airport leaders for our ‘Explore the Experience Era’ research, 82% acknowledged that the real opportunity lies not in expansion but in optimising the space they already have.

Lounges, fast track access, and curated retail are no longer optional extras but have become strategic levers to manage congestion, meet rising passenger expectations, and unlock new revenue streams.

Digital integration can no longer be overlooked. Some 56% of global travellers told us they increasingly expect a single, seamless interface for wayfinding, purchases, and services. Yet nearly 40% of airports still struggle with fragmented apps and disconnected systems.

At Airport Dimensions, our response is Connecta+, a unifying platform that links lounges, concessions, and services into a single ecosystem, transforming fragmented touchpoints into seamless journeys, empowering airports with real-time insights, and unlocking new opportunities to enhance both experience and revenue.

Equally important is how airports use the data generated by these platforms. For leaders, the challenge is no longer access to information, but converting it into actions that both delight passengers and maximise commercial value.

Real-time passenger insights allow airports to optimise layouts, make better use of concessions, and tailor offerings to respond to shifting behaviours with precision. The modular nature of the Connecta+ platform allows airports, lounges, and concessionaires to gather continuous feedback and enhance the traveller experience, providing the personal touch passengers expect.

Building a shared ecosystem creates a multiplier effect across the airport. By enabling lounge guests to order directly from food and beverage concessions, airports unlock new revenue streams for partners while giving travellers more choice with less friction.

Extending this connectivity to retail encourages discovery and spend beyond the lounge, creating value that might otherwise be missed.

For concessionaires, the prize is access to affluent travellers, a group that AX25 research shows spend 85% more per visit than non-lounge users.

The airports that thrive will be those that work smarter, not just bigger, turning every touchpoint into both a commercial and experiential opportunity. The winners will be airports that can connect the journey end to end, creating ecosystems that delight passengers while driving sustainable growth for their partners.