MANCHESTER - 5

[Suzeman]

From UK Airport News a couple of days ago. An interesting final sentence.....

Suzeman


Manchester Airport is using business intelligence software to help increase passengers spending in its shops, in order to replace revenue lost in landing fees because of the rise of low-cost airlines.

Lower landing fees for budget airlines, coupled with stricter security measures that reduce passengers' time in retail outlets, has hit the airports' margins. So the airport is now analysing retail data to determine spending trends and boost sales at airside shops.

Manchester Airport information services business consultant, Martin Bell, said retail data is valuable, but previous reporting methods were disparate and manual. He said: 'We are a data-rich company but were not using the information effectively. By consolidating the data into a single view, we can get a better insight into our passengers and make better business decisions.'

Analysing aviation data remains the priority. But combining it with retail and airport parking information gives a clearer view of passenger purchasing decisions, Bell said. He added: 'Now we can determine how long people spend airside and make more informed decisions on how we manage our retail area.'

'Airports have traditionally regarded retail as secondary to aviation, but we are under pressure because of the rise of low-cost carriers and we realise that we need to be more imaginative.'