Samsung
Gatwick Airport Case Study
The Challenge:
The Solution:
Gatwick Airport wanted to upgrade its
passenger information screens to
deliver an enhanced service.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab has replaced the
traditional matrix screens. Better presented
and more up-to-date information is now
available 24 hours a day.
The Benefits:
Having established a superb working
relationship with Samsung, Gatwick Airport
has been able to play an active part in
the collaborative development of the IT
solution, moulding the product’s uses to
meet its growing needs.
The Results:
The upgraded devices have been extremely
well received by the airport’s passengers
and Gatwick Airport plans to continue
installing ten a month within both the
North and South terminals.
Stats:
Company: Gatwick Airport
Country: England
Industry: Airport/Aviation
Founded: 1930
Number of Employees: 23,500
Web Address: http://www.gatwickairport.com
Contact details
Visit: www.samsung.com/uk/transport
Tel: +44 (0) 1932 455 000
Post: Samsung Electronics (UK) Ltd
Samsung House,
1000 Hillswood Drive,
Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 0PS,
United Kingdom
“These Samsung devices provide a much simpler tool
for our passengers. They have really low maintenance
costs as we manage them remotely through a web
browser. Samsung themselves were very helpful in
helping us customise the software to ensure it worked
perfectly in this public environment.”
Michael Ibbitson – Chief Information Officer at
Gatwick Airport
The Solution
Why Samsung?
The Samsung devices provided the new
functionality that the airport required.
Bright and easily seen screens attract the
eye and encourage passengers to use
them. Their cost–effectiveness has meant
that a greater number can be installed
when compared to the running costs of
much larger touch screens or large format
PCs.
The location of the tablets was carefully
considered and they have been positioned
to enable passengers to easily navigate
the terminal buildings. Titled ‘info tabs’,
the Samsung devices have revolutionised
the usability of the airport’s information
system.
One of the features the airport hope to
introduce is the capability to provide
customer surveys. They are always looking
to understand what customers think and
what they want for the future.
The Challenge
Gatwick Airport is London’s second largest
international airport and second busiest
by total passenger traffic in the UK after
Heathrow. Furthermore, Gatwick is Europe’s
leading airport for point-to-point flights and
has the world’s busiest single-use runway
with up to 53 aircraft movements per hour.
Gatwick Airport had previously relied on
its large-screen technology to provide
passengers with all flight information.
“The tablet is customer friendly, easy
to navigate and provides accurate
information. It really is wonderful.”
Customer feedback showed that
passengers were overwhelmed by too
much information being displayed on the
screens. This led to some people struggling
to find their flight.
In its quest to continually enhance the
passenger experience, Gatwick Airport saw
the presentation and flow of information as
a vital part of the jigsaw.
There are currently around 30 tablets in
the South terminal and 20 in the North
terminal. They are rolling out at around
ten a month and will continue at this rate
until there are around 160 or more devices
across the airport.
William Edgill - Gatwick Airport
Passenger
The Airport Tablets feature the Samsung Tab
“As the travelling public gets younger, this is the way to go.”
William Edgill - Gatwick Airport Passenger
The Result:
The new info tabs provide information to
passengers whether they are quickly passing
through the airport or spending a couple of
hours before a flight by browsing the shops or
visiting the many cafes and restaurants.
“Our vision at the start of this project was to
enable passengers to have the information
they needed at their fingertips. It’s such an
easy-to-use system.”
Michael Ibbitson – Chief Information Officer at
Gatwick Airport
Longer term, the Samsung devices will
be able to provide HD content as well as
games for those times when your flight is
delayed. Opening them up for complete
internet access is also an option that is being
considered.
Passengers can enter their flight number to
access information for their flight or they can
sort by airline. All the information is much
easier to find than on a traditional flight
information screen that has been suspended
from the ceilings. The airport are also looking
at the possibility of using Google Maps to help
orientate the passengers and show them how
to get to their particular gate. Personalised,
reactive information is being provided at the
touch of a button.
“Gatwick likes to take the lead in innovative technology. We
are the first airport in the UK to provide such technologically
advanced information portals and we are delighted with the
result. There has been a great deal of interest from other
industries and we have no doubt that the public use of
tablets will grow accordingly. ”
Michael Ibbitson – Chief Information Officer at
Gatwick Airport
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for
people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the
worlds of TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs, cameras, home appliances, printers, LTE systems,
medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 80
countries with annual sales of US$216.7 billion. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.
com.