Newcastle International Airport is deploying SITA’s common-use self-service (CUSS) kiosks, allowing passengers flying with several airlines to check-in quickly and easily.
With Newcastle International expected to reach six million passengers this year, the self-service check-in kiosks will make check-in quicker and easier whichever airline passengers are flying with.

On peak days over 20,000 people use the Airport to fly to and from 86 different destinations, so the addition of the CUSS kiosks will significantly shorten check-in time and mean less stress for the passenger and more time for shopping and other activity.

Paul Barrow, Newcastle’s Operations Manager, said, “Our rate of growth is phenomenal. We are adding on about one million passengers per year. We want to get the best possible use out of our operating environment and one of the smartest ways to do that is to install common-use self-service kiosks which can be used by any airline operating out of the airport. We have 17 major airlines here and it would not make sense for each of them to install their own kiosks. For us, common use is common sense.”

Darren Kelly, Newcastle’s IT Support Manager, said, “SITA’s reputation as a global IT provider and pioneer of common use convinced us it was the right partner. To begin with, we have installed ten CUSS kiosks loaded with the KLM application but airlines including Thomas Cook, ThomsonFly, Flybe, Air France, Lufthansa and My Travel have also shown interest.

“The kiosks will contribute to a much more enjoyable travel experience for the passenger and will help ease congestion in the airport.”

Ilya Gutlin, SITA Vice President for Europe, said, “This is a very significant development for the UK regional airport market and the industry as a whole. CUSS is becoming an increasingly important part of the passenger check-in environment. SITA has committed resources to developing this technology and we are very pleased to see an airport as large as Newcastle becoming an early adopter.”

Based on its experience with CUSS, Newcastle International is considering the possibility of increasing its investment in new technologies in partnership with SITA, including innovations such as web check-in and SITA’s latest baggage reconciliation systems.

Newcastle International predicts that up to 9.5 million passengers will be flying into and out of Newcastle by 2016. In addition to the regular air traffic and charter flights, it is becoming an increasingly popular departure point for short-breaks to destinations such as Barcelona, Budapest, Nice, Pisa and Milan.
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