AIRPORT SEATING
The bottom line Airport World talks to two of the world’s leading airport seating companies to discover more about the latest innovations and industry trends. Lynn Gordon, vice president , airport solutions, Arconas Why should airports care about airport seating? What airports have realised is that seating is one of the most effective ways of creating a better environment and passenger experience, which is so important at airports. The industry has transformed so much and there is much more attention now to the size, colour, experience, diversity, comfort and style and arrangement of seating to improve the passengers’ experience.
Is there any evidence that proves the positive impact good seating can have on passenger satisfaction levels at airports? Absolutely! Recently we did an installation at Portland, in Oregon, a beautiful mid-size airport. They saw their passenger experience ratings jump 12% immediately after the new seating was installed. There is tangible evidence in the ratings, and one client said when we added power to the seating, they saw a 12-15% jump in revenue. If passengers do not like the seating, this has a negative impact on their experience at an airport. They are less satisfied.
What are the current trends driving the latest developments in airport seating? The number one trend is powered seating which is embedded into the seats. It has been an enormous success for us. People are more wired than ever (iPads and iPhones etc). Another big trend is creating a more diverse environment within the hold room. When I first started in the business (15 years ago), the idea was to pack as many seats as possible, with row upon row of seating, but you find airports are breaking from that entirely now and are looking at mixing different types of seating, and acknowledging that they do not have one type of passenger. Airports want to make themselves much more inviting by creating a lounge type experience, and are doing that with colour especially, and are getting much more experimental.
Can seating make airports money? Seating can be developed and arranged in ways that encourage retail sales. For instance, we have done airports where the seating has been strategically located, particularly the comfortable seating around certain concessions and services for power, where people want to get drinks and relax. Seating draws people to concession areas. Our client at Columbus Airport saw a huge jump in revenues when we added power to the seating. There are ways to maximise the arrangement so it is comfortable and we are seeing some blending of holding and concessions.
How important is the need to be ‘green’ in airport seating? There are more and more LEED terminals, so seating can credit towards this certification. People are generally becoming more aware, and another area is air quality and the internal air quality that products release, so it is very important. We have always been an environmentally friendly company, and were one of the first manufacturers to introduce the moulded foam process, where there is minimal waste. It is also more durable. We replaced 20% of our petroleumbased foam using a soya bean derivative and, on top of that, we certified our beam seating. All our seating is CFC-free and low VOC, and certified to the emissions standards, to help with the air quality and to have more renewably sourced components. PVC-free upholstery is now available and all our aluminium and steel is recyclable and we also use other recycled materials.
What are the hottest markets on the planet right now for airport seating and why? I don’t want to point to one market as it seems to vary, but for us we have been very busy in South and Latin America. We outfitted the two São Paulo airports in Brazil for the World Cup and have done a lot of work in Mexico – it is very busy there.
What makes your seats stand out from the crowd? We are not the cheapest, but not the most expensive, and our seating is of very high quality, high design, made with the best materials in the business. High design, comfort and performance is my mantra – in a product that will last, backed up with top-notch service.
AIRPORT WORLD/JUNE-JULY 2014
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