Manchester Airport

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Manchester Airport

Following an extensive competitive tender, covering 25 companies, Manchester Airport awarded Fujitsu the contract to design and develop an interactive, user-centric passenger information system that could be integrated with Manchester Airport's existing transport systems.

Customer's Challenge

Manchester Airport is the UK's third largest airport offering direct flights to over 200 destinations worldwide by more than 100 airlines and 300 tour operators. The airport currently handles 21 million passengers a year, but with passenger numbers expected to rise to 42 million by 2015, managing the flow of passengers travelling in and out of its three terminals is vital to its efficient operation.

Manchester Airport initially ran a pilot project using a static information 'obelisk', containing plans of the airport, advice leaflets and a “help” telephone, but the information quickly became outdated and the receptacles and telephones were open to misuse. “At this point,” continues Hilary Liddell, IS Business Relationship Manager, Manchester Airport, “we recognised the need for a computer-based system that could be easily and cost-effectively updated and provide relevant information at different locations.”

Fujitsu's Solution

Following an extensive competitive tender, covering 25 companies, Manchester Airport awarded Fujitsu the contract to design and develop an interactive, user-centric passenger information system that could be integrated with Manchester Airport's existing transport systems.

Jo Boyle, Product Development Specialist, Manchester Airport says, “You expect a company like Fujitsu to demonstrate solid technical know how, but of all the companies that we looked at, Fujitsu was by far the most imaginative in its approach. It was clear that they were excited about the project and had the creativity to bring our ideas to life.”

The new system, MAISY (Manchester Airport Information System), incorporates state-of-the-art, multimedia kiosks with easy-to-use touch-screens that allow passengers to view real-time information on flights, detailed maps of the airport and view and print step-by-step directions on how to get to any destination in the UK using public transport.

Each kiosk also provides information relating specifically to passenger facilities and to retail outlets located on the airport site, as well as information about the Manchester region. Large plasma screens on top show information relating to where you are and what you should do next. The kiosk is a revolutionary wedge shape to improve passenger flow at busy periods and is ruggedised to prevent damage from luggage trolleys. The third side of the kiosk currently enables passengers to print out special offer vouchers for use in the airport shops and will be developed further in order to maximise revenue generating potential.

MAISY is the world's first interactive passenger information system to link air, rail and bus journeys, as it seamlessly integrates with Manchester Airport's real-time flight information systems (AMOSS and PIDS) and its journey planners system (JPS), which contains national rail, coach and bus schedules.

Another innovative aspect of the project was the use of a graphical Avatar character - an intelligent animated personal assistant. Based on a real Customer Service Advisor in Manchester Airport and dressed in the same blue uniform as her 'real-life' colleagues, 'she' is designed to provide a user-friendly way to greet passengers and explain to them how to use the kiosks.

In parallel with the MAISY project, Fujitsu also developed and implemented a number of “Which Terminal?” kiosks to assist motorists and foot passengers in finding the right terminal for their flights, by electronically displaying details on which airline is flying from which terminal. “Terminal designation changes more often than you think,” explains Hilary Liddell, “and the effort in updating the printed signage and posters was huge, so it made sense to extend the work on MAISY in order to help customers get to the right terminal with as little hassle as possible.”

Fujitsu has now installed MAISY kiosks at 28 different points within the airport, which are getting around 75,000 customer users a month. The system will also be used at key transport hubs at Manchester Piccadilly, Wigan and Bolton railway stations.

Hilary Liddell comments, “We selected Fujitsu to deliver an entire solution in full confidence that as a team we would create something exciting. I doubt that we would have got such an innovative solution from any of the other suppliers and if we had contracted for any of the component parts separately, we probably wouldn't have the kiosks in place now. Instead, because we handed over the entire implementation to Fujitsu, they were delivered on time and to budget and the pain was all Fujitsu's. I honestly can't think of anything that was bad at all.”

Benefits to our Customer

The new solution will enable Manchester Airport to realise significant business and operational benefits:

• Better customer service - with more accurate, relevant and timely travel information
• Improved passenger flow - customers can get to the right terminal faster, enhancing the airport's public image and relationships with airlines
• Reduced administrative costs - information can be updated centrally in real-time, removing the need to produce and replace posters and leaflets
• Improved resource usage - avoids the need for customer service staff to deal with 'common' questions and problems
• New revenue generation - potential to invite external parties to use the third side to offer passengers even more 'added value' services
• Simplified support - the system automatically identifies any problems, such as failures or paper out, and is updated and managed remotely
• More secure system - the kiosk operating system centrally alerts staff if any security breach occurs, including tampering with the kiosk housing doors.

John Spooner, Managing Director, Manchester Airport, comments, “We are delighted that our relationship with Fujitsu has provided a unique network of information kiosks that will enhance the already high standards of customer service at the airport.”

“Thanks to Fujitsu's sophisticated and highly integrated design the beneficial effects of MAISY are daisy-chained,” says Hilary Liddell. “By providing clear and consistent real-time information, passengers get the travel information they need when they need it, which improves their way finding, which means they get to their terminal on time, giving them more time to shop, which improves our relationship with both the retailers and the airlines!”

Our Approach

As the first stage in the development of MAISY, Fujitsu undertook a 'discovery' phase to firm up Manchester Airport's requirements, using workshops with members of staff from across the airport to understand what kind of information passengers really needed.

“This was a very interactive process,” says Hilary Liddell. “Fujitsu would present its ideas for discussion, which would then be refined based on the feedback received so that we ended up with a solution that combined the best of both worlds in terms of ideas and technology. While it is a fairly intensive way to work, it is much more productive, because everyone is working together as a team so you get to the end point much more quickly. Fujitsu seems to be very comfortable working this way and they were just as keen as we were to get the right product out there.”

“It was important that Fujitsu took charge in the discovery phase,” adds Jo Boyle, “because they asked questions that we wouldn't have thought of. As a result, Fujitsu helped us put together a very complex project that is enabling the airport and our customers to benefit from some very innovative and cutting-edge technology.”

Our Expertise

Travel organisations the world over trust Fujitsu to deliver innovative and reliable IT services and consultancy and enable them to achieve their business objectives and deliver an impeccable service to their customers.

“We have certainly benefited from Fujitsu's considerable experience of the travel industry,” says Hilary Liddell. “But more importantly, from the start of the MAISY project and throughout the software development, hardware implementation and support, I don't believe there were any areas of our business or requirements that Fujitsu didn't take the time to fully understand.”

Jo Boyle agrees, “It's been absolutely fantastic to work with a partner who is just as committed to excellence as they are. Despite the challenging timescales, Fujitsu's project team went the extra mile every time and I loved their enthusiasm and passion for the whole thing.”