Designing airport journeys around certainty: how data reduces friction across the passenger experience – International Airport Summit 2026 speaker preview

The most successful airports use information to reduce uncertainty, remove friction, and create confidence throughout the passenger journey. At Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), data-driven insights help us make better decisions across operations, customer experience and accessibility, which creates benefits for travellers, employees and business partners alike.

The journey begins before the passenger enters the terminal

Airports have traditionally viewed the customer experience as a series of operational functions: parking, ticketing, security, concessions, boarding. Passengers, on the other hand, experience one continuous journey, starting long before they step inside a terminal. Questions such as ’Where do I park?’, ‘Will I make my flight?’ and ‘Which direction do I go?’ may create anxiety before travel even begins.

One of our goals at CVG is to identify those moments of uncertainty and use data to eliminate them wherever possible. This means leveraging real-time information, predictive insights, and customer feedback to better understand where friction occurs and how we can address it. We are less interested in deploying technology for its own sake and more interested in using it to create a smoother, more intuitive experience. In the end, we want to delight our passengers by not just meeting their needs, but exceeding their expectations.

Turning data into actionable insights

Every day, airports generate enormous volumes of operational and customer information. The challenge lies in transforming all this data into meaningful decisions.

At CVG, we increasingly focus on connecting data sources that help us understand both passenger behaviour and operational performance. By combining customer sentiment, real-time operations, and journey analytics, we gain a more complete picture of where improvements are needed and where investments will create the greatest impact.

One of the tools in our kit is Infotap, which helps us engage directly with passengers in real time while collecting valuable feedback about their experiences. Infotap is a gamified survey experience delivered when passengers log into airport Wi-Fi. The information we ask helps us develop a better long-term picture of who our customers are, while also obtaining immediate feedback on everything, from the elevator music at the airport, to the food choices and amenities most desired by frequent travellers.

We receive more than 500 completed surveys per day, representing roughly 5% of daily travellers, a sample most market researchers would envy.

At CVG, we increasingly focus on connecting data sources that help us understand both passenger behaviour and operational performance.

These interactions allow us to better understand customer needs and identify opportunities for improvement before issues become larger concerns. Rather than relying solely on surveys conducted after a trip, we are able to learn from travellers while they are actively experiencing the airport.

Removing friction through better information

Passengers rarely judge an airport by the sophistication of its technology. They judge it by how easy it is to navigate.

This is why wayfinding remains one of the most important opportunities for improvement across the industry. Even modern terminals can be intimidating, particularly for first-time visitors, international travellers, and passengers with accessibility needs.

CVG has invested in technologies designed to make navigation more intuitive and inclusive. GoodMaps helps travellers independently navigate complex environments through detailed digital guidance, while Hello Lamp Post provides virtual answers to passenger questions through kiosks located around the terminal. These solutions aid when and where travellers need it, helping reduce stress while increasing confidence. At the same time, by analysing patterns in the questions that customers are asking, CVG gains insight into areas where it can improve.

Connecting operational excellence to customer experience

Many of the technologies that have the greatest impact on customer satisfaction are not visible to passengers at all.

A common misconception is that customer experience initiatives must be customer-facing. In reality, operational efficiency and customer experience are deeply connected.

When airport teams have better situational awareness, passengers experience fewer disruptions. When data is more accessible across departments, decisions can be made more quickly. When operational workflows become more predictable, the benefits extend directly to the travelling public.

This is one reason we are excited about solutions such as Volan Technology, which provides digital tagging and tracking of assets indoors. We are currently using Volan to track the location of the 450 free luggage carts available to passengers across the terminal. The tracking saves time for employees who collect the carts and place them in corrals.

At CVG, we believe the future of airport innovation is ultimately a human-centred endeavour. Technology is simply the enabler. 

By improving how operational information is shared, visualised and acted upon across the airport ecosystem, technology can help create a more connected operating environment. Better information flow enables airport teams to identify issues sooner, coordinate responses more effectively, and support more efficient decision-making. While passengers may never see these systems, they experience the outcome in the form of smoother operations and greater reliability.

In many ways, the future of customer experience depends on the quality of invisible operational infrastructure.

Using the airport as a living laboratory

Innovation requires more than ideas. It requires an environment where new concepts can be tested, measured and refined.

CVG has embraced a “living lab” approach, using our 7,700-acre campus as a real-world environment for evaluating emerging technologies. This model allows start-ups, technology providers and operational teams to collaborate on practical solutions while generating meaningful performance data.

Through this approach, we have explored technologies ranging from autonomous systems to advanced wayfinding and passenger engagement platforms. Companies such as Aurrigo, which offers autonomous baggage handling with its Auto-DollyTug, have helped demonstrate how automation can support airport operations, while other partners have focused on accessibility, communications, and customer engagement. The common thread is that every solution must address a measurable business need and deliver value for the airport, our partners, or our customers.

Innovation requires more than ideas. It requires an environment where new concepts can be tested, measured and refined.

Innovation is about building a disciplined process that allows airports to evaluate emerging technologies in a responsible and scalable way.

Building confidence through data

As airports continue to evolve, passenger expectations will continue to rise. Travellers increasingly expect personalised information, seamless navigation, and proactive communication throughout their journeys.

Meeting those expectations requires a commitment to understanding the passenger experience through data and using those insights to drive better decisions.

At CVG, we believe the future of airport innovation is ultimately a human-centred endeavour. Technology is simply the enabler. The true objective is to create an environment where uncertainty is reduced, accessibility is expanded, and travellers can move confidently from curb to gate.

When data helps create certainty, everyone wins: passengers, employees, airport partners, and the communities we serve. That is the opportunity in front of our industry, and it is one we are excited to help shape.

I will be talking in-depth about this very topic at the International Airport Summit, taking place in Rome on 10-12 November 2026. Make sure you sign up for your complimentary* ticket to ensure you are in the room for the discussion and to ask your questions of the panel.

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*Complimentary aviation leader tickets are applicable to senior managers and above from airports, airlines, regulatory bodies and aviation authorities.