Professor Kimberley Samarelli
Principles of Marketing
December 22, 2010
Final Project
A redesign of the check-in process at Atlantic City Airport will drastically improve the overall experience that clients receive. If you have ever flown out of any airport in the United States you know that the largest portion of time spent in the airport is time spent going through check-in and security. In fact most airlines suggest that patrons check-in two hours before their departure to ensure that they make their flight. It simply comes down to a point of a design flaw in the airport scheme. The cause of this significant amount of time spent in the airport is mainly due to two main problem areas: Check-in and Security. Unfortunately, due to obvious circumstances, the thoroughness of security in airports is at an all time high and this plan will not propose to lessen it in anyway. However the way that customers get through Check-in and on to Security can be revamped and in turn expedited.
The Idea
The proposed plan is to redesign the current Check-in lanes into 2-3 (depending on traffic) high efficiency lanes that will expedite travelers wait times. These lanes will have rolling time designations: “Flight Departure in 1 to 1 & 1/2 Hour(s)” and two “Flight Departure in 1 &1/2 or More Hours”. This would effectively create an “express” lane for patrons running behind schedule and allow them to check-in quicker; therefore stopping them from missing their flights. As time passes, the patrons whose latest check-in time falls into the 1– 1 & 1/2 hour range will be allowed access to the “express” lane keeping the patrons in the biggest hurry in the shortest line. Also to keep order all three lines will have personnel designating which lane patrons should be in. After the patrons have checked in they enter the adjacent “Expedited Security”, which has all of the required safety measures that regular Security has but allows late patrons to avoid another long line. This design will allow customers to catch their latest check-in time and get to their destinations on-time and happy.
Marketing Objective
The objective of the plan is to increase customer satisfaction and in turn increase revenue from repeat customers and new clients received from word-of-mouth and promotions. Along with the increase in revenue the plan aims to reduce the turn-around time flights have by getting the passengers to the terminal quicker. This time saved will lead to being able to handle more flights in a work day and in turn more revenue.
Current Market
After an analysis of the current trends in today’s market it can be seen that consumers want more quality for their money or more value in what they buy, when it comes to airline services the term quality is defined in a different way. The customers of Atlantic City Airport will receive quality in the form of expedited wait times for those who are running behind schedule and a reassurance that Atlantic City Airport cares about the customer, not just their money. The reality is that many companies are cutting corners and reducing the value received by their clients in today’s economy. This sad truth will be Atlantic City Airport’s competitive advantage; which will allow Atlantic City Airport to gain a larger market share of the airline industry in the Ocean/Atlantic County area.
Environmental Analysis
A quick general analysis of this proposal will show some key strengths and weaknesses. First the strengths, the successful implementation of the remodeling will give Atlantic City Airport a competitive edge and if that success continues an influx of new clientele from word-of-mouth and other promotion. The weaknesses, like most, are if the clients are resistant to the change or the plan cannot be implemented efficiently it will fail and Atlantic City Airport will need to rework another proposal. The environmental analysis will provide more depth to these strengths and weaknesses. Economically the plan