Buenos Aires Ezeiza Airport (EZE) is introducing self-service check-in kiosks and self bag drops at its new terminal.
Argentina’s principal international airport is installing 34 self-service check-in kiosks and 20 self-service bag-drop kiosks at the new departures terminal due to open in October.
EZE is managed and operated by AA2000, which runs a total of 35 airport terminals across Argentina.
Self-service technology will help AA2000 maximize capacity at the new terminal by allowing more passengers to check in from the same area. In means AA2000 can increase capacity without the need to build.
The self-service and self bag drop kiosks are common use, meaning they can be used by passengers of all airlines at the terminal.
The important part here is the common use.
Before common use, each airline had its own kiosks and they were in general plonked anywhere they could be. They cluttered up the terminal and wasted space.
In 2005, IATA was mandated by the world’s major airlines to increase the use of common use self-service check-in kiosks, called CUSS.
At that time, only 5 small airports in Canada used CUSS kiosks.
I was tasked with developing a plan, and then making it work, for the massive take up of CUSS kiosks in Europe, Africa and The Americas.
In Latin America I pinpointed Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia as the most important countries to work with to introduce CUSS.
On behalf of the airline industry I went to Argentina and met with AA2000 at the highest levels. Also with many individual airlines and other organisations.
AA2000 were the best, most enthusiastic airline operator I ever met about CUSS. They clearly saw the benefits and opportunites and planned to move ahead quickly.
The airlines, including American, British Airways, LAN and many others resisted.
The new self-service kiosks are from SITA.
N.B. Image credit: AA2000
