For most people, viewing the latest technology at the airport is like a quick glimpse of luxurious first class seating as they make their way back into the cattle, er, passenger section, of the plane. But the technology is no longer limited to planes or the control towers.
As a smaller airport, the Akron Canton Regional Airport has always played its competitive advantages-ease of use and a location out of the hustle of a major metropolitan area. Until recently, it relied on word of mouth and old school advertising to get its message out. No longer. The marketing arm of the airport has found a way to use technology to spread its message farther and faster.
The heart of the new communication system is a Web site, www.akroncantonairport.com, begun in 1997.
“So many people are going online to do their research these days for travel planning,” says Kristie Van Auken, director of marketing for the airport. “There are a lot of sites out there and we want to be part of that mix. We thought it was very important to get a site out quickly that looked very good and was designed professionally and was very user friendly.”
The site, designed by Michael Tren Houseman of Tren Design, is fast, clean and easy to navigate. But how does it help the airport? By helping travellers get the most out of the facility.
Clicking into savings
Airports have traditionally maintained a passive role in the transportation process. They were simply the gateway through which passengers were shuttled from one place to the next. That is no longer enough. For the airport to become user friendly, the Web site had to do more than display the terminal and airfield layout plans. The site hosts a hot deals page listing good fares and charter flights.
Every airline that services the airport is linked, so travelers can buy tickets online. All area attractions, hotels, car rental agencies, convention and visitor bureaus and business and community development organizations are also linked, making it a versatile and functional site.
“We’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on our hot deals page. That and our flight schedule page are the two pages that generate the most interest and hits,” Van Auken says. “I think it’s become a valuable communication tool, so we’re able to get feedback from folks that we may not have heard from otherwise.”
Attracting new customers
The directions page is also important. As the airport started attracting travelers from a larger radius, reaching into western Pennsylvania, it found an increased need to give directions to the airport.
“It just allows them another way to talk with us,” Van Auken says. “They can either go online and look at a big map or they can give us a call and we’ll be happy to give them directions the old-fashioned way.”
Helping friends and family
This year, the airport plans to add a flight locator to its Web site, allowing people to locate flights to any of 100 destinations. The locator will list airlines and flight times and travelers can link with airlines to book flights.
As the airport becomes Y2K compliant, real time flight arrival and departure status will be a mouse click away. In addition, the airport is considering adding video so surfers can see the terminal and watch planes take off and land.
The other customers
The real point of the Web site is to build traffic for the customers who pay for the airport-the airlines. With that in mind, Van Auken says, the site is designed not to compete with the airlines’ sites.
“We want to be able to drive business to them so that they can benefit from our participation in technology as well,” she says.
The airlines have sophisticated sections on their Web pages, including a feature which allows travelers to request fare updates. Any time there is a change in fare, the traveler is notified by e-mail. Van Auken uses this to check fares at other airports to remain competitive.
Sharing the story
“One thing we’re putting a lot of emphasis on is our external communications,” Van Auken says. “Particularly with the rollout of our economic impact information.”
The marketing department uses a laptop computer and projector to run Power Point presentations, which give the message more visual impact.
“We’ve had at least a half a dozen calls from community groups that would like for us to go and speak with them about what’s happening at the airport right now and what they can do to support the continued job and income growth at this facility,” Van Auken says.
The equipment will be used when the airport begins publicizing terminal expansion plans, showing where a parking garage will go or where buildings will be relocated.
“It’s much more exciting if they can see it and be part of it that way,” Van Auken says.
The airport also plans to purchase a digital camera, so up-to-date photos can be integrated into presentations.
Spreading the news
Van Auken plans to use the Web, with other online technology, to get the word out about the airport’s changes.
“We do use wire services and things of that nature which have become increasingly sophisticated. It certainly helps me with my efficiency. I send it off to PR Newswire and then they put it on the Web for me, and it goes onto aviation related segments on the major search engines,” Van Auken says.
Van Auken says that with all of the Akron Canton Regional Airport’s technological advances, it is still not as complete as she would like.
“There are a lot of things we’d like to do, but technology costs a lot of money,” she says.
Even if the airport had the money, there is still the problem of keeping up with the technology.
“It creates efficiencies, but it also creates a whole new set of tasks. Like with the Web site, we have to keep that thing updated,” Van Auken says. “It’s created a more efficient marketing program, but it hasn’t necessarily created less work.”
One of Van Auken’s favorite aspects of the technology is that it allows her to communicate with people in a variety ways. But with that comes this warning: “You have to balance technology with the need to interact on a personal level. That can’t be replaced.”
