Athens Airport Receives ‘Fast Travel Gold Award’ by IATA

IATA airport, passenger, cargo and security Europe director Sergio Fernandez and AIA chief operations officer Alexandros Aravanis.

The Athens International Airport (AIA) “Eleftherios Venizelos” has received the “Fast Travel Gold Status” award by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for acquiring the necessary infrastructure to support IATA’s six Fast Travel projects.

By implementing the projects, the airport has achieved significant innovation and improvement in passenger experience in several areas: Self-check-in, bags ready-to-go, document check, flight re-booking, self-boarding, and bag recovery.

The award was presented to AIA chief operations officer Alexandros Aravanis by IATA airport, passenger, cargo and security Europe director Sergio Fernandez during a special ceremony at the airport.

“The Fast Travel Gold Status recognizes our commitment to constantly improve airport experience through innovation and prompt adjustment to passengers’ requirements in close cooperation with our airline partners”, Aravanis said. “AIA promises to keep working on innovative projects that will continue to enhance travelers’ experience in the future,” he added.

IATA’s Fast Travel Program addresses passenger demands for more choice, convenience, and control through self-service options. The program’s vision is that by 2020, 80% of global passengers will be offered a complete suite of self-service options throughout their journey to provide better convenience, reduce queues and ultimately improve punctuality.

Sergio Fernandez IATA airport, passenger, cargo and security Europe director; IATA country manager Greece George Mamalakis and the management team of Athens International Airport.

“According to industry surveys, over half of all passengers want to reduce waiting times in their air travel experience and around three quarters of passengers worldwide want more self-service options. This accomplishment crystallizes Athens Airport’s efforts to be at the forefront of the Industry by providing world-class services to its passengers,” Sergio Fernandez said.

According to IATA, the Fast Travel program is addressing the future of travel with more choice and more control for ​passengers and lower costs, representing annual savings of up to 2.1 billion US dollars for the industry.