Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) has begun offering passengers two digital services – AI-powered real-time flight updates via WhatsApp and a smart boarding service.
WhatsApp chatbot service
The chatbot service via WhatsApp provides passengers with real-time flight status notifications, as well as detailed information on all services at Fiumicino Airport. By scanning the QR code displayed in the lower section of the flight info monitors, passengers can access a special chat to check the status of their flight at any time, without having to look at the displays in the terminal. The direct use of the messaging app is intended to simplify and optimize the passenger experience at the airport. Through the Digiport chatbot, passengers can also access up-to-date information on all the services offered by ADR.
Smart boarding service
Furthermore, for the 14 gates (E11-E24) of the Molo E non-Schengen boarding area at Leonardo da Vinci Airport, ADR has launched the Smart Boarding service, accessible exclusively via QR code, which employs a system of micro-cameras coordinated by AI to collect and process in real-time data on boarding operations, enabling passengers to view their departure gate live streamed from their cell phones, including detailed updates on how close boarding is to completion. By monitoring the progress of boarding from their phones, passengers are free to choose when to queue and can make the most of their airport experience.
Digiport platform
These services are available in the Digiport platform and directly on smartphones for Fiumicino Airport’s passengers. According to ADR, in the first days after Digiport was activated, more than 1,000 passengers per day used this service. This new project is part of the Mundys Group strategy, which considers innovation as one of the main levers of strategic development.
Aeroporti di Roma’s Innovation Hub
The new Digiport and Smart Boarding services were conceived and developed thanks to collaborats with Airport AI and ZestIoT, respectively; these two startups are among those that participated in the Call4ideas launched by Aeroporti di Roma’s Innovation Hub, the first business accelerator located in the heart of a terminal (i.e. Terminal 1 at Leonardo da Vinci Airport) for the development of startups in the airport sector.
Emanuele Calà, vice president for innovation and quality at Aeroporti di Roma, said, “Thanks to these new services, we carry on with our mission to revolutionize the passenger experience at the airport through the use of digital technology: today, travelers can get all their flight info directly on their smartphones, without having to keep looking at the flight information screens. By activating notifications on their smartphones and monitoring the boarding status in real time, travelers will be able to spend their time exploring the airport worry-free, prior to departure.”
In related news, ADR recently launched a digital shopping service – Shop&Fly – in partnership with Lagardère Travel Retail. It gives passengers at Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport the opportunity to reserve products available on Aeroporti di Roma’s website and pay for and pick them up directly at the airport. Click here to read the full story.