Airports are built around movement. But between security, boarding and takeoff, passengers spend considerable time in one place, with a phone in hand and decisions to make about food, services, directions and what to do next.
That attention is valuable, but it is not automatically useful to passengers or the airport. The opportunity is to connect waiting time with practical information and experiences that help travelers make better use of the terminal.
Airports cannot eliminate the wait. They can improve what happens during it.
Gate and terminal dwell time is shaped by flight schedules, airline policies, security and other operational processes, as well as how early passengers choose to arrive. Airport marketing teams cannot simply shorten boarding times or guarantee a quicker security queue.
So the useful question is not how to make every wait disappear. It is: What can passengers do with the time they already have?
The scale makes that worth considering. In its 2026 Annual World Airport Traffic Report, Airports Council International (ACI) World reported a record 9.8 billion passengers in 2025, based on data from 2,817 commercial airports. Its report also noted a slowdown in passenger growth during the first half of 2026 amid geopolitical and economic headwinds. For airport operators managing demand and investment, making existing infrastructure work harder is part of the conversation. (ACI World, 2026 Annual World Airport Traffic Report announcement)
Passenger experience includes the time between processes
Passenger needs vary by trip, terminal and traveler. Some people are focused on getting through the airport quickly; others have time to find a meal, locate a lounge, learn about the destination or simply relax.
ACI World’s ASQ 2024 Global Traveller Survey, based on responses from more than 4,125 travelers across 30 countries, reported that two-thirds felt positive about their next airport journey. At the same time, one-third expressed demand for more wellness-focused airport environments. The survey also identified pre-boarding touchpoints as the most stressful part of the journey, with stress declining after those processes were complete. (ACI World, “Latest Global Traveller Survey reveals increasing expectations for wellbeing and premium experiences”)
Speed and predictability matter, too. In its 2024 Global Passenger Survey, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that 70% of respondents wanted to reach the boarding gate within 30 minutes when traveling with carry-on baggage; 74% expected it to take no longer than 45 minutes with checked baggage. Those findings describe passenger expectations, not a universal arrival-time rule, but they reinforce how closely the airport experience is tied to time and convenience. (IATA, “Passengers Want Convenience and Technology to Improve Processes, Regional Preferences Diverging”)
Turn a waiting moment into a useful connection
A bored passenger is not only a missed entertainment opportunity. It can also be a missed chance to help someone find a restaurant, understand terminal services or plan the next part of a journey.
Most airports already provide valuable resources: maps, concession directories, ground transportation information, accessibility services, traveler programs and destination guidance. The challenge is making those resources easy to discover at the moment a passenger is looking for something to do.
That is where a simple digital engagement layer can help. It does not replace flight information systems, signs, airport staff or the airport’s own website. It gives passengers another convenient route to relevant resources while they wait.
For the airport, the potential value spans several areas:
- Wayfinding and discovery: Help passengers find maps, amenities, concessions and ground transport information.
- Useful passenger information: Surface practical resources rather than filling the screen with generic promotions.
- Accessibility and language needs: Make approved accessibility details and language-appropriate information easier to reach, while keeping signage and in-person assistance available.
- Non-aeronautical revenue: Give concessionaires and approved partners a relevant way to reach travelers, under airport-defined content and placement rules.
How CXperks can fit into an airport
CXperks is designed as an engagement layer for physical locations, using an ENTERTAIN → ENGAGE → INSIGHT approach. In an airport, a passenger could scan a QR code at a gate, lounge or wayfinding point and open digital magazines, games or trivia on their own phone, without an app, download or login. CXperks says it collects no personally identifiable information (PII). (See the CXperks airport experience and the ENTERTAIN → ENGAGE → INSIGHT framework.)
Entertainment gives the passenger a reason to begin. From there, the same experience can point to airport-approved resources such as terminal maps, concession information, lounge and amenity details, accessibility services, traveler programs, ground transport, community programs and destination content.
The experience should be useful rather than interruptive. A traveler looking for ground transportation should be able to find that information without wading through unrelated offers. Airport teams control what appears and which next steps are available.
Enterprise questions: control, consistency and measurement
For an airport group, the practical questions are how the experience works across terminals and locations, who controls the content, and how teams will know whether it is helping.
Multi-terminal deployment: A consistent framework can be adapted to different terminals, concourses or passenger touchpoints. Local information can remain relevant to each location.
Brand and content control: The engagement space belongs to the airport operator. Teams determine what resources, messages and calls to action appear, and can define appropriate standards for partners and sponsors.
Partner placements: Concession and sponsor content can be included as part of a useful passenger experience, subject to airport approval and clear placement rules. It should complement passenger information, not obscure it.
Privacy and compliance: Scanning opens a digital experience without an app permission prompt or login. CXperks describes its analytics as anonymous; airport teams should still review data handling and deployment details with their legal, privacy and technology stakeholders.
Measurement: Rather than treating impressions as the only measure, operators can review scans, dwell time, content engagement and action taps, where available. These signals can help teams understand which placements and resources are earning attention and where a pilot may be worth extending.
What a considered deployment looks like
Start with real dwell zones: gate hold areas, post-security seating, lounges and baggage claim. Place the invitation where passengers can notice it without blocking wayfinding, accessibility features or operational signage.
Match content to the moment. A traveler with 40 minutes and no headphones may prefer a short game, trivia or a magazine they can read quietly. Give each placement one clear next step: explore terminal dining, check a ground transport resource or open a map.
Keep the experience accessible in more than one way. QR access should complement, not replace, printed information, clear signs and staff support. Link to airport-approved pages that work well on mobile devices and provide relevant language and accessibility information.
Finally, set a review cadence. Check scan and engagement patterns, update time-sensitive information and remove content that is no longer relevant. A simple, regularly maintained experience is more useful than a large collection of stale links.
Reviews should remain optional, neutral and policy-compliant
An airport may choose to include a neutral invitation for passengers to share feedback or leave a Google review. Any review invitation must be unfiltered and open to every passenger. It must not be tied to incentives, selectively shown based on sentiment, or used to steer unhappy passengers away from Google. Do not guarantee positive reviews, request a star rating or specific wording, pressure passengers to review on premises, or have staff write reviews.
CXperks does not write reviews or guarantee engagement or reviews. It also cannot remove Google’s requirement that reviewers be signed into a Google Account. See Google’s User-Generated Content Policy and its guidance on getting more reviews.
Make the minutes work harder
Dwell time is part of the airport journey, even when it cannot be shortened. A thoughtfully placed engagement experience can give passengers entertainment, make existing airport resources easier to discover and provide operators with anonymous, location-level insight into what receives attention.
For airport and airport-group leaders considering a practical pilot, book a conversation with Scott Janney.