Balancing commercial return with passenger experience

As the aviation industry recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, airports need to diversify income streams to generate commercial return, with on-site retail, leisure, food and beverage (F&B) and other non-aeronautical activities becoming vital to the operator’s bottom line. This paper argues that in an age of virtual transaction, operators need to provide an immersive commercial experience within terminals to drive up footfall, dwell time and spend. It also discusses how airports first need to engage their target audience virtually, making the initial connection via online platforms, then deliver on that promise in the physical world to strengthen and deepen the passenger relationship.