Airports serve as one of the main economic engines and connection hubs for a country, and therefore, their performance is of rising importance. Airport performance can be measured by various methods along numerous dimensions; however, the key remains the passenger-perceived service quality and satisfaction. This paper assumes heterogeneity of passengers by classifying them into generational cohorts and investigating whether there is an intergenerational difference in passenger experience at the Philadelphia International Airport and what factors may explain that. The study utilizes the survey data collected through the questionnaire distributed to departing/connecting PHL passengers. The methodology includes regression analysis, ANOVA model, and cross-tabulations. The findings confirm the presence of variation in passenger experience and satisfaction with the airport depending on their generational affiliation. The intergenerational difference was particularly significant in the overall experience with PHL, which includes 24 items related to experience outside of the airport, outside of the terminal, and inside the terminal, as well as retail/shopping experience and information sources and needs. The intergenerational difference was not significant in the passenger food/beverage experience at PHL. / Tourism and Sport

The aviation industry has some tough years behind it due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of low cost carriers. In the competition of retaining and attracting passengers, the importance of the passenger's airport experience has been discovered. This thesis investigates how digitalising of airports can lead to an enhanced airport experience for passengers. With the use of a digital transformation model and the field of service design a research design of four phases has been assembled. Through in-depth interviews, participation in a vision seminar and shadowing of passengers, the current state of digitalisation at airports has been assessed and goals for a future digital airport has been defined. This laid the foundation for the developed vision for future digital airports presented in this thesis. The results indicated that digitalisation can have a great impact on passengers' airport experience if properly designed. In fact, simply digitising is not enough, the airports must undergo a digital transformation to reach the full potential of digitalisation. The digital maturity of passengers is also found as a key point to successfully change the way airports operate.