Article from BTNews 13 JANUARY 2020
High-tech helpers for British Airways
Autonomous robots are being deployed on a trial basis by British Airways at its home at Heathrow Terminal 5 this year to help passengers to find their way through the airport.
The airline says some 90,000 people travel through the terminal each day and bringing in the high-tech helpers will leave its airport hosts available to help customers with more complex queries.
The robots, supplied by the company BotsAndUs, are programmed to interact with passengers in multiple languages using the latest translation technology to answer thousands of questions, including real-time flight information.
Additionally, using geo-location technology and dozens of advanced sensors, each robot can move around the building freely, escorting passengers to specific locations such as BA’s dedicated special-assistance and family check-in zones.
BA head of innovation Ricardo Vidal said the combination of automation and personalised customer service would define the airport of the future.
“These smart robots are the latest innovation allowing us to free up our people to deal with immediate issues and offer that one-on-one service we know our customers appreciate,” he added.
“In the future, I envisage a fleet of robots working side-by-side with our people and offering a truly seamless travel experience.”
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