Unlocking the Potential of Regional Airports in the United States Through Technology

25.01.2024 - 13:47 / breakingtravelnews.com

Most Americans – about 90% – have a regional airport on their doorstep, or at least a 30-minute drive away. So, it makes sense to fly from regional hubs closer to home. And yet, the United States, along with Europe and the United Kingdom, is seeing a decline in air traffic from regional airports.

This is despite the fact that airline passenger volumes are expected to boom in 2024, driven largely by domestic travel. The United States Travel Association is projecting a strong showing for domestic leisure travel next year, which should reach two billion trips and continue to climb. As a result, we are seeing airlines opening new and seasonal routes to satisfy passenger demand for flights to destinations like the Caribbean and Mexico.

So what is holding regional airports back?

Catering to the needs of airlines – particularly low-cost carriers – is fundamental. Airlines are unlikely to put on more than a few frequencies per week or even opt for seasonal routes. Therefore, airlines will not want to pay for new digital or operational infrastructure to support their service.  It make no sense.

This puts the onus on the airport to invest in this infrastructure. Faced with dynamic and changeable flight schedules, small budgets, capacity limitations around passenger numbers and the size of aircraft they can comfortably accommodate, this can be challenging.

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Similarly, what attracts passengers to smaller airports is the prospect of having all the digital services of a big hub airport but not the hassle of long waiting lines or walking for miles.

Technology: The game-changer

The regional airports that will thrive will be those that proactively tackle these challenges by adapting their business models and harnessing the digital technologies that make them more efficient, attractive to airlines and which offer a positive passenger experience.

According to SITA’s Passenger IT Insights, released in September 2023, today’s airline passengers are comfortable using technology and new digital services to make their travel experience easier and more enjoyable. They are open to increased digitalization across the entire travel experience, from boarding and security, to identity verification and automated checks.

Recognizing this, many of the bigger airports in the United States are already making headway with their digital transformation efforts. The likes of Miami International Airport is already deploying 5G wireless capabilities, which can support the increased bandwidth demands of mobile applications and new technologies like virtual reality, biometrics and real-time advanced video analytics. Other large airports around the world are implementing SITA’s full suite of connectivity solutions, as well as our