Capacity Gives Gatwick Airport a Voice with AI.

Gatwick Airport is the second busiest airport in the UK, serving millions of passengers every year and offering flights to over 230 destinations worldwide.

Problem

Gatwick Airport faced the challenge of managing operational costs while also providing excellent customer service. They had to ensure that millions of passengers could receive information in their native languages. All of this had to be achieved without compromising on customer service levels across their operations.

With a record number of flights arriving each day, Gatwick had become the world’s busiest single-runway airport, handling over 950 departures daily. To meet this demand, the airport was looking for an innovative, multilingual and advanced text-to-speech solution to help automate their Public Address (PA) System. Their primary requirement was that the solution featured characterful, relatable voices to engage a diverse range of travelers.

Solution

Together, Gatwick and Capacity pushed the boundaries of technology and developed the world’s first multi-language text-to-speech public address system, deliverable by mobile device. 

The solution provided Gatwick Airport with:

• A cost-effective PA Bridge that connects to any existing public address system using a software called Phonetica
• A high-performance cServer that delivers clear, high-quality voice messages across multiple channels
• Several natural-sounding voices in five different languages

Results

By implementing this mobile solution, Gatwick Airport significantly improved its customer service, enabling communication with passengers in various languages. This not only enhanced the passenger experience but also reduced staffing costs at the information desk. 

The freed-up space from downsizing the information desk area as a direct effect of this solution was later redeveloped into valuable retail areas, generating additional revenue for the airport.

The system has since received a huge amount of positive feedback from both Gatwick Airport staff and passengers. Nick Henderson, Terminal Manager at Gatwick, shared his thoughts:

“The solution has proven to be a great success. For the first time ever, customers at the airport can be contacted irrespective of nationality, resulting in a new level of customer service. The solution also offered operational efficiency, allowing staff to interact directly with passengers on the floor rather than from the confines of a PA suite.”

– Nick Henderson, Terminal Manager

Thanks to this collaboration, Capacity’s technology has helped Gatwick transform its customer service and operational processes, paving the way for a new standard for airport communications.

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