From Check-in to Take-off: How Digitalization Reshapes Airport Service Quality

Year 2025, Volume: 9 Issue: 3, 768 - 779, 19.10.2025

Sinem Büyüksaatçı Kiriş , Binnur Akıf

https://doi.org/10.30518/jav.1752519

Abstract

As air travel becomes increasingly complex and passenger expectations rise, airport authorities are turning to digital technologies—such as artificial intelligence, IoT, biometric systems, and mobile applications—to streamline operations and enhance customer experiences. Depending on these improvements, this study explores the transformative impact of digitalization on service quality at airports, focusing on how technological advancements influence operational efficiency and passenger satisfaction across pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight stages. Drawing on a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve professionals from Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen Airport, representing diverse operational roles.
The thematic analysis of the interview data revealed six key dimensions through which digitalization contributes to service improvement: the adoption of smart systems and self-services, personalization of customer experience, training and personnel development, infrastructure enhancement, environmentally sustainable practices, and continuous feedback mechanisms. While digitalization was widely recognized as a catalyst for faster transactions, improved safety, and higher customer satisfaction, concerns such as system failures, data privacy, technological inequality, and diminished human interaction were also highlighted.
By presenting a stage-based assessment of digitalization, which are pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight, this study offers a comprehensive framework for understanding its dual role as both an enabler and a challenge in modern airport service management. The findings contribute to the growing literature on digital transformation in aviation and provide practical insights for airport administrators seeking to align technology integration with service excellence and long-term sustainability.

Keywords

Digitalization , Digital technologies , Service quality , Airline industry , Airport management

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