Crafting Airport Experiences Travelers Will Love: 8 Proven Strategies You Can't Ignore

This year has seen some of the busiest travel days in recent memory, and the expectations of travelers continues to evolve. This is a great time to focus on improving the airport experience for travelers, tenants, and partners.

In the past, the airport was a transit point or waystation that served the utilitarian purpose of connecting traveler to airline. Now the stakes are higher - much higher - and the evolution of these hubs continues as customer expectations continue to increase.

I spend 20 - 30 weeks on the road each year myself, and over the last year I’ve spent time in dozens of airports talking to hundreds of travelers. I've listened to families on vacation, business travelers like me, and retirees off to see their grandchildren. This is what I've learned and I want to share it with you.

Design with people in mind. What will travelers, guests, and visitors need in terms of parking, wayfinding, restaurants, charging, and seating. Start by ensuring that even novice travelers can easily find what they need.
Don't forget that airport services must not just resonate with passengers but with tenants and partners as well. Be sure the experiences for those running businesses or operating flights on property are great and that their expectations are being exceeded.
Lean into hospitality at all turns. Customer expectations continue to evolve and traveling is hard enough, so be sure that you are prioritizing great service and developing a team with a heart for service.

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Start By Meeting the Daily Needs of Travelers.

This may seem obvious but the basic traveler needs are so often neglected by even the most modern airports.

Charging stations that are easily accessible from each seat are a must. That means a plug at every seat rather than a single plug in station that everyone fights over. Some travelers are wary of USB charging due to data theft, so lean into real plugs or wireless charging.
Clean bathrooms with a bit of privacy. Some of the best washrooms are clean, well stocked, and have enclosed stalls for a bit of privacy. They also have taps and soap dispensers that actually work without having to flail your hands like a maniac.
Wayfinding that works. Signage and communication at airports can sometimes be confusing and even frustrating. From the directions to parking areas and rental car returns as you enter property to the directions to dining and lounges inside, be sure a novice can understand their meaning and find their way easily.

Prioritize the Tenant Experience

Much as the best hospitals take great care of their doctors, the best airports are champions for their tenants, such as the airlines, retail partners, and support businesses that operate flight side.

Ensure you are listening to your tenants and staying connected through regular touchpoint and focus groups.
Listen to their requests and ideas - and put into action whenever you can.
Eliminate hassles for them as your business-to-business (B2B) partner and they will pass that ease along to the end customer.

Leverage Technology To Drive Ease

The possibilities for technology at airports is limitless and can positively impact the traveler experience in many ways.

Self service TSA with an eventual evolution to "just walk through" technology, allowing travelers to move quickly through the screening area with no need to stop unless there is a problem with their scans.
Continued integration of self service technologies to free up restaurant and retail employees for higher value tasks.
Lean into AI predictive analytics to help power efficiency across all operations, including staffing, line flow, maintenance, and cleaning.

Craft Personalized Experiences for Guests

Travelers increasingly expect experiences tailored to their preferences, needs, and behaviors. There are several different types of travelers who utilize the airport. Some may fly frequently, while others do so only occasionally. You may have some traveling for business, others for personal reasons, and still others for leisure.

Leveraging customer data to drive the brands and experiences you create for your guests, starting with your Voice of the Customer (VOC) feedback analysis
When you understand your mix of travelers, it will allow you to develop personalized offers and customized experiences.
AI driven recommendations enabled through apps and geofencing - allowing your guests to find personalized dining experiences, working spaces, or flight side amenities based on individual needs.

Transform Your Retail and Restaurant Offers

Travelers are no longer satisfied with standard airport fare - the pretzel stands and vending machines of the past just won't cut it. They are looking for experiences at all price points, ensuring that there are quality options for every budget - from value to premium.

Analyze your overall dining offerings - do you have a mix of quality grab-and-go, quick service, pick up, and full dining experiences?
Think Local. Partner with local restaurants, chefs, and suppliers to bring a taste of the area to your guests - that could be a pop up based on a local restaurant, a hot local chain, or a signature item from the area's producers.
Ensure ease of dining by ensuring mobile ordering, self service, and locations that offer options for travelers regardless of time of day.

Provide Premium Traveler Experiences

Today's traveler is looking for something a little bit "extra." Elevated everyday experiences create moments that feel convenient, thoughtful, and memorable.

Concierge services that can assist with everything from booking transportation to finding restaurants to handling baggage.
Elevated dining experiences create opportunities to experience the best restaurants in the region without having to leave the airport. These don't have to be full dining experiences, but rather a series of pop ups that offer the headlines of world class cuisine
Productivity and health enablers such as fitness centers, spas, or work stations. Some of the most useful amenities in airports are work cubicles. Trust me, travelers appreciate a proper station to set up their laptops or tablets with a bit of privacy.

Provide Lounges For Traveler Convenience and Comfort

Airport lounges are evolving from exclusive clubs to essential spaces for relaxation and productivity. These are must-haves in modern airports - whether associated with financial institutions, airlines, or independently run.

Expand access by offering pay-per-use and membership-based entry options to appeal to the widest possible clientele.
Cater to business and leisure travelers alike with family-friendly areas, wellness spaces, and quiet work zones.
Create high-quality food & beverage offers with exceptional hospitality. This means ensuring a consistent, quality experience that delivers more than just snacks - but rather a full meal solution that looks and tastes great.

Bonus Tip: Even smaller airports should consider opening a lounge. These are great opportunities to create day passes to allow for those who want an upgraded experience, even if you don't have an airline or bank sponsor for the lounge. As an example, the Charlottesville, VA Airport has a simple, clean, welcoming lounge in their airport that is reasonably priced and provides a place away from the noisier main terminal.

Don't Neglect the Last Mile

The flight is only part of the journey. Travelers have to navigate to and from the airport and ultimately find their way to their final destination. Integrate thoughtful last mile services into your overall journey.

Build the right partnerships with cabs, rideshare companies, busses, and even trains or subways to create a fully integrated travel experience.
Create easily accessible routes to transportation options - and make it clear where to pick up rental cars or meet rideshares.
Ensure that you have safe, well lit, and even heated or cooled areas to wait for hotel shuttles, rides, or cabs.
Focus on your parking solution. Many airports have outgrown their parking infrastructure and that is a huge dissatisfier and time waster for customers. Be sure you ample parking and invest in the lights that show open spaces as you drive past rows.

Now this all begins by delivering on Hospitality and Experience with intentional design. At the heart of every world-class airport is a commitment to hospitality.

It's not just about the services you offer—it’s about how people feel at every touchpoint. A warm smile, a helpful interaction, or a thoughtful gesture can turn a stressful journey into a memorable one.

Create a winning team experience: From hiring through daily engagement, you must create a space where the best talent wants to work. Never forget how hard it is to work at the airport - parking, security, poorly behaved travelers - and ensure that you are caring for your team.

Invest in service skills and training: Building a great team starts with hiring the right people, but once you have them on the team, you must invest in their hospitality skills. This means professional training that reinforces your service goals and does so with a blend of classroom and experiential learning. Use all your options with digital, live, and situational based training to ensure retention and buy in.

Design with people in mind: Keeping your customers at the center of your thinking during strategy and design is crucial. This idea of journey mapping - plotting out your customers path through the airport and understanding what they need, when they need it, and what could cause them stress or friction - is one of the smartest investments of time you can make. It will help you spot problems before they become costly and complicated to correct.

Create a team of service ambassadors: Deploy trained ambassadors throughout the terminal to assist travelers, answer questions, and offer a welcoming presence. These team members can focus on ensuring that travelers have what they need or even find a great tip for a local restaurant. But above all, they create a welcoming experience.

Here is where you should start. These practical steps can help you start implementing premium, guest-centric experiences immediately:

Understand your customers, travelers, and tenants

Conduct focus groups with your tenants and customers
Interview travelers in real-time for feedback.
Build experience maps that include emotions and expectations, not just steps.

Focus on your internal culture first

Launch a training program built around delivering fundamentally great hospitality.
Recognize and reward exceptional service moments.
Include tenants and partners in culture-building efforts.

Pilot, then scale

Test mobile gate-side ordering in one area.
Introduce a pop-up retail or food options during peak seasons.
Run a 60-day “hospitality ambassador” program and measure engagement.

Exciting Times for Local and Regional Airports There are so many amazing local and regional airports that are adding passenger service in addition to their tenant services or expanding their routes due to demand. If this is your journey, sometimes it is difficult to know where to start. Here are a few tips to get you moving: - Dial in hospitality as a core skill. Select team members for their attitude and heart for service, as well as technical skills - Listen to your guests and plan with them in mind - little things like food, beverage, power, places to sit, and places to work will set you apart. - Plan for growth in your strategy and consider parking, restaurant partnerships, flight side amenities, and customer feedback in your roadmap. - Listen to your guests and your tenants, ensuring that you utilize surveys, focus groups, and interviews to guide your strategy and decision making into the future.

Executive Airports Must Up Their Games as Well

Whether you are catering to executive and corporate jets, private personal aircraft, or both, you will want to ensure your experience delivers for your customers.

Safe, secure, well maintained environments with snacks, clean washrooms, wifi, planning tools, and snacks
Friendly, knowledgeable, helpful staff who are available as needed for flexible arrivals and departures - and a willingness to help newer, less experienced pilots
Fair pricing with no surprise ramps or handling fees as well as competitive fuel pricing
If you are serving a larger executive clientele, private lounges, access to in-flight catering supplies, and onsite customs and international processing
Access to transportation, whether it be a safe place and convenient place to wait for a ride share or the option for VIP car service pick up
Convenient, safe, and secure hangar space for aircraft storage, maintenance, or detailing services

When it comes down to it, airports have unlimited room for improvement. As they stand now, many are dated, slow, or lack capacity to meet demand. There is a movement across the U.S. to improve the dated airport infrastructure, and much of that must be influenced by the needs of travelers.

Great airport experiences aren’t built on terminals and tarmacs—they’re built on moments. Moments of ease. Moments of welcome. Moments of connection. Whether it’s a first-time flyer navigating security, a frequent traveler grabbing a quick bite, or a family soaking in the excitement of their vacation, every moment matters.

What sets standout airports apart is their commitment to hospitality-driven design, smart use of technology, and a willingness to elevate the everyday. It’s about clean restrooms and charging stations just as much as gourmet meals and VIP access. It’s about local flavor, warm people, thoughtful services, and a culture that puts travelers—and the partners who serve them—at the center of every decision.

The opportunity is real, and the time is now. Airports can be more than a place to grab a flight and then complain about it later, it can be a place that is welcoming and part of a better travel experience for everyone.

Are you ready for takeoff? In other words, ready to put travelers at the center of everything you do?

Tony Johnson

* Written by a real human, not A.I.

Tony is an award winning speaker and author on the topics of sales growth, customer experience, and leadership. Tony speaks to thousands annually and has been featured on ABC News and Fox News. He is available for business planning, motivational keynotes, leadership workshops, and employee service skills training.

Tony is the founder of Ignite Your Service and the Chief Experience Officer for 4xi Global Consulting.

Tony is available to help with your Customer Experience and Employee Engagement Strategies, inspirational keynote talks, team training and development, and executive leadership coaching.