Airport efficiency software specialists implement tracking technology at Birmingham Airport

UK-based software company Gentrack’s Airport 2020 has deployed a new tracking system to improve passenger queue times at Birmingham airport.

The tracking technology developed by Denmark-based Blip Systems will allow the airport to effectively resource and plan movements within it and travellers will be given more accurate queue times, allowing them to plan their own time before they fly.

Ilya Burkin, lead project manager at Gentrack said: “It was rewarding to work with Blip Systems to implement BlipTrack into Gentrack’s Airport 20/20 software. Efficiency in airports is becoming more and more integral to the full scope of airport activity; not just for the purposes of queue management but also to maximise revenue.”

The sensor technology uses dedicated Bluetooth/Wi-fi sensors to detect mobiles devices, for example, smartphones and tablets. By identifying the devices at multiple sensors, specific and accurate statistical information, such as travel times, dwell times and movement patterns become available, without interaction from the travellers.

Line density is monitored through real-time and live wait time information is shared with passengers on screens, meaning that operations and disruptions which are by nature, unpredictable, are more accurately managed and travel experiences are improved.

Christian Bugislaus Carstens, marketing manager at Blip Systems said: “Today, many airports display wait times to their passengers. Typically, this is done by measuring dwell times of people leaving the line. However, these “historic” times may not be accurate for those entering the line, especially if the number of people suddenly changes or more lines open up. BlipTrack combines and analyses both the number of people in line and the average throughput of the area.”

Internationally, more than 25 international airports use the technology, including Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, JFK Airport in New York, Copenhagen, Dublin, Oslo, Geneva, Brussels, Cincinnati and Auckland.

Chris Wilson, head of terminal operations at Birmingham airport said: “It´s been an excellent project with great support from the design, installation and technical team.”

For further details, please contact Ilya Burkin