Airport hospitality services provider, Plaza Premium Group (PPG), has been appointed by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to manage passenger services at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport).
The 10-year full-service management appointment covers the entire portfolio of BLR’s services including service delivery, control centre, training centre, customer engagement, marketing communications, sales & distribution, as well as technology.
Plaza Premium Group will also be responsible for a wide range of services, including Meet and Assist, Porter Services, Luggage Storage and Flower Booking, PRM (Persons with Reduced Mobility) Services, Limo Services, Concierge Services, Valet Parking, Car Spa, Travel Concierge, Pet Care Service, Personal Shopper, Robotic Assistance and more.
Hari Marar, Managing Director & CEO, Bangalore International Airport Limited, commented: “We are optimistic that our timely partnership with Plaza Premium Group (PPG) will bolster our mission to transform passenger experience at BLR Airport. The Power of One concept will ensure optimal service and safety standards, along with seamless airport experience. This partnership is a positive step towards restoring passenger confidence in air travel.”
As part of the mission and strategy to deliver seamless, optimal and data-driven operation excellence, Plaza Premium Group has teamed up with global IT services leader Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to develop an end-to-end passenger services technology platform to connect the complexity of reservation, sales & marketing, customer engagement, back-of-house command and control, manpower management, training centre and the entire operation information management.
The newly developed PPG Passenger Services Technology Platform will be built based on the existing PPG operating platform with tailored architecture that suits BIAL’s passenger’s needs. The platform will include an omni-channel booking engine which enables worldwide sales & distribution, a Customer Engagement Center with customer profiling and personalisation capabilities, a Service Delivery Platform for dispatch and real-time incident management, and a Back Office System which powers HR, administration, asset and information management.
PPG has also partnered with one-stop customer engagement technology service provider oneDirect to ensure passenger interactions are managed through one-single platform via various touchpoints.
Through the “Power of One” concept, Plaza Premium Group will coordinate the standards, data & insights, methodology & efforts, with consultation and input from BIAL’s management and operation teams with the ambition to further optimise and commercialise customer experience and achieve the vision for “unmatched, memorable, world-class passenger journey”.
Song-Hoi-see, Founder & CEO of Plaza Premium Group, said: “We are beyond grateful to be trusted by BIAL to jointly create world-class airport experience and very importantly, to serve millions of domestic and international travellers in the new era of travel. India is one of the fastest growing air travel markets with Bangalore as the key driving force. PPG is no stranger to the Indian travel market and we see huge potential in the travel market, therefore we have strategised to invest over USD15 million and will deploy a workforce of over 800 staff over the 10 years, supported by our Hong Kong-based headquarter with the hope to grow with BIAL in the years to come. With a strong local alliance with TCS and oneDirect, we are confident that we will be able to take BLR’s passengers service to the next level with data-driven decision-making, advanced technology and very importantly, the PPG team’s love and passion for quality customer service.”
