Three major airports in Canada partner with SITA to improve guest experience

Passengers moving through three of Canada's largest airports may soon be enjoying a faster and easier experience under a new arrangement that will adopt a common technology platform.

Among North America's largest airport groups, Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary are working together to improve passenger experience, which the group believes will put the country at the forefront of innovative passenger check-in technologies. 

Together with SITA, a leading provider of aviation technology, the three airports are modernizing the passenger experience with SITA's flagship common-use check-in and gate systems.

"We know that passengers want more control of their journey with automated solutions that make travel fast and convenient. We are pleased to bring this experience to three of Canada's busiest airports and build on our long-standing partnerships," said Matthys Serfontein, President for the Americas at SITA.

A pivotal relationship

Ian Clarke, chief financial officer at Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) says this important relationship is pivotal in providing passengers with the airport experience of the future.

"As travel continues to ramp up, we are committed to cultivating a smoother process for our passengers, and this new technology represents a key element of achieving this objective," Clarke said.

Working together, the airports are supporting the recovery of Canada's broader aviation industry by creating a common experience to simplify.

In addition to the 700 new-generation check-in kiosks, new boarding technology will simplify the journey for the vast majority of guests flying into, out of, or within Canada. 

The new touchpoints will make it easier to incorporate both contactless and biometric capabilities that will enable airports and airlines to evolve as processes modernize.

Megan Gupton, chief technology officer & senior director, IT for The Calgary Airport Authority says the group's combined vision is "to offer the best passenger experience in Canada and highest quality services to our airlines and industry partners."

"As air traffic rebounds, we see several benefits to our guests in furthering technological solutions like facial recognition boarding—getting us closer to our goal of being a contactless airport," said Gupton.

According to the group, the new touchpoints are said to meet and exceed Canadian accessibility requirements and aviation security standards like text-to-speech hardware, navigational keypads, height controls designed for passengers using wheelchairs, tap and chip and pin payment technology for in-flight upgrades, and biometric camera capability for future use.

Aymeric Dussart, vice president, technology and innovation - ADM Aéroports de Montréal says this new platform will allow the group to offer a harmonized digital airport experience for passengers and a unique technology integration approach for airlines operating in Canada. 

"We are also delighted to collaborate once again with SITA, a long-standing partner with a significant presence in Montréal that has made our city its centre of excellence in innovation," said Dussart.

SITA will also provide operational teams to monitor all terminals for any potential bottlenecks. 

A more seamless guest experience will be achieved through improved operational performance, efficiencies, and workflows, according to the group.

Installation of the new systems is expected to begin early next year at all three airports.

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