Passengers moving through three of Canada’s largest airports will have a faster and easier experience under a new arrangement that will adopt a common technology platform.
Toronto Pearson, Aéroports de Montréal and Calgary Airport Authority have adopted SITA’s flagship common-use check-in and gate system to modernise the passenger experience.
Over 700 new-generation check-in kiosks and boarding technology will be installed to ease the journey for passengers travelling to, from, and 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 modernise.
The new touchpoints also meet 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.
SITA will also provide operational teams at each airport to monitor for any potential bottlenecks in the terminals. This will improve operational performance, provide efficiencies, and streamline processes, ultimately resulting in a more effortless guest experience.
The new systems are on track to start being installed at all three airports early next year.
“This announcement is the result of a unique collaboration among three major Canadian airports. This new platform will allow us to offer a harmonised digital airport experience for passengers and a unique technology integration approach for airlines operating in Canada,” said Aymeric Dussart, Vice President, Technology and Innovation – ADM Aéroports de Montréal. “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.”
“Our combined vision is to offer the best passenger experience in Canada and highest-quality services to our airlines and industry partners,” said Megan Gupton, Chief Technology Officer & Senior Director, IT for The Calgary Airport Authority. “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.”
“This important relationship is pivotal in providing our passengers with the airport experience of the future,” added Ian Clarke, Chief Financial Officer, Greater Toronto Airports Authority. “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.”
“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,” Matthys Serfontein, President for the Americas at SITA, also commented.
