Brown presented how Heathrow is blending digital and physical innovation to address the issue of limited space. He said: “We are growing our passenger numbers as an industry, which is great, but for many of us in legacy airports we have a space problem. We have the capacity to process passengers but we are constrained in the space we need to host passengers. This is because hosting involves hospitality.”

Brown added: “So, we’ve got constrained terminals and we want to deliver great service and grow passenger spend. When you have limited space and you don’t have ‘elastic walls’, then I argue that digital can be your elastic wall.

“Digital gives us the ability to offer more in terms of range and price than a physical space can allow. Ultimately, leveraging digital can deliver a great experience for both the passenger and the shareholder.”

To maximise yield and optimise conversion, Heathrow has launched a digital ‘Curated Marketplace’. This aims to leverage Heathrow’s fulfilment capability to create best-in-class convenience, single payment, click and collect, virtual retailers, order to satellite, lounge gate or even collect on return.

CAVU’s Robert Hassard offered his own case studies on how passenger perceptions of airport lounges have changed.

Hassard said: “During and after COVID, lounges became a ‘safe space’ with awareness growing significantly. Lounges searched per passenger has grown +76% in the pandemic years with demands for lounges at an all-time high. Access through partners continues to grow and ATV has grown +40% as passengers are more willing to pay for high-level experiences.”

He explained that lounges are facing a capacity crunch and offered solutions on how airport operators can meet growing demand. He highlighted pre-booking, good partnerships and customer data as key enablers to elevate the lounge experience.

Malaysia Airports’ Hani Ezra Hussin illustrated how the company is showcasing Malaysia’s distinctive cultural heritage to stay “always in, in a world of always on travellers.”