{"id":16355,"date":"2016-11-17T19:29:33","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T00:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/london-city-airport-please-arrive-at-most-20-min-prior-to-departure\/"},"modified":"2016-11-17T19:29:33","modified_gmt":"2016-11-18T00:29:33","slug":"london-city-airport-please-arrive-at-most-20-min-prior-to-departure","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/london-city-airport-please-arrive-at-most-20-min-prior-to-departure\/","title":{"rendered":"London City Airport: Please arrive (at most) 20 min prior to departure"},"content":{"rendered":"

London City (LCY) is the only airport located in London itself. Just seven miles from the City<\/em> (London\u2019s financial district), over 60% of its passengers travel on business, and over 40% hold a position of senior manager or above1<\/sup>. With such a high profile passenger, LCY\u2019s management knows what their passengers lack and demand: time. This year, CEO Declan Collier publicly announced his goal to make LCY the \u2018fastest airport\u2019, with a walking distance of 20 minutes between entry and departure gate2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

\"lcy2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In line with those goals, the Technology Strategy Board, UK\u2019s public innovation agency, awarded LCY a grant in 2013 to run an \u2018Internet of Things\u2019 (IoT) pilot<\/u>3<\/sup>. The one-year pilot allowed management to get a glimpse into the full potential of IoT integration with their current infrastructures: from time savings and operational efficiencies, to driving top-line growth through targeted advertising in their retail operations.<\/p>\n

Piloting The IoT<\/strong><\/p>\n

LCY established a sensor network that captured data such as passenger location and flow patterns3<\/sup>. Information was then analyzed at a hub, prompting a response from the airport, which interacted with passengers at key touch points via an app that would release push notifications to their smartphones depending on their location, scheduled flight, and LCY\u2019s level of operations.<\/p>\n

For example, while in the cab to the airport, you could be perusing through the Duty Free catalog or the Starbucks menu, receiving offers personalized to your purchasing history. You could buy and select \u2018at seat\u2019 delivery to receive your order once on-board the plane. Moments after entering the terminal, your phone would also display a message informing you where to go for self-services of check-in and bag drop-off.<\/p>\n

As you moved towards the security lines, the app would tell you which line was faster. Meanwhile, cameras would analyze volume and flow pattern of all passengers4<\/sup>, allowing LCY to predict and prevent longer queues. Furthermore, on the airside, GPS and 3G enabled devices would track airport equipment to ensure the fastest aircraft turnaround services and decrease delays.<\/p>\n

Sky Is The Limit<\/strong><\/p>\n

LCY deemed the pilot a success, but its full potential was far from reached. Nowadays, IoT devices are already capable of much more5<\/sup>:<\/p>\n