Seat to Seat: A guide to the ideal passenger journey

Air travel is judged in moments.

For passengers, every journey carries expectations long before takeoff—and long after landing.

Did parking feel easy or stressful? Did the shuttle arrive when it should? Were the terminals clean, calm, and easy to navigate?

Did passengers get help when they needed it? Did the restroom feel cared for? Did the gate area look welcoming and prepared for the next wave of travelers? Did the aircraft feel clean, comfortable, and on time?

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Passenger expectations are rising. So are the operational demands behind every journey.

Research shows that cleanliness, efficient flow, and on-time performance are the strongest drivers of traveler satisfaction. As passenger volumes grow, airports face increasing pressure on infrastructure and frontline teams.

Each touchpoint matters. The margin for error is smaller, and the opportunity to shape the passenger experience is greater than ever.

For airports, the challenge isn’t capability. It’s coordination. Multiple vendors, overlapping responsibilities, and disconnected systems can make consistency difficult to achieve.

ABM connects parking, transportation, passenger assistance, cleaning, engineering, and airline services into one coordinated experience that moves with the passenger.

From the parking deck to the aircraft seat, ABM teams anticipate needs, respond in real time, and keep every environment ready for what’s next.

The result is smoother operations and a journey that feels consistent, cared for, and built to exceed expectations—seat to seat.

Over 80% of travelers say cleanliness directly impacts satisfaction ¹

Over 60% cite delays and congestion as their top frustrations ²

‍¹ JD Power 2025 North America Airport Satisfaction Study
‍² Airports Council International Airport Service Quality (ASQ)

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Airports that win today aren’t just moving people efficiently. They’re delivering consistency, confidence, and care at every point of the journey.

ABM expertise at work:

• 75+ Airports worldwide rely on ABM
• 27 Of top 30 busiest U.S. airports served
• 10 Of top 10 U.S. airlines served
• 30M+ Square feet of airport properties cleaned every day
• 1.3M+ Aircraft cleaned annually
• 5M+ Wheelchair traveler requests managed annually
• 14K+ ABM aviation specialists at work each day

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The journey begins with parking

The airport experience often begins in a parking lot, at the curb, or on a shuttle. This first interaction can shape a traveler’s perception of the entire airport.

Parking is not just a revenue stream. It is the opening scene. Travelers expect easy access, clear wayfinding, reliable shuttle service, and fast, contactless payment options.

Leading airports are rethinking parking as a connected operation that combines technology, service, and real-time coordination to keep traffic flowing and passengers moving. ABM brings that vision to life.

Through integrated parking management, shuttle operations, valet services, and curbside coordination, ABM teams help airports align landside operations with real-time demand.

ABM supports airport parking facilities, off-site locations, and rental fleets across complex operating environments with unique traffic patterns and operational needs.

Mobile reservations, license plate recognition, and dynamic pricing simplify the parking experience, while onsite teams help keep traffic organized during peak periods.

By bringing technology, operations, and frontline teams together, ABM helps create a stronger first impression and a better start to the journey.

Of passengers consider easily accessible parking a critical factor when choosing an airport³

Approximately 77% of passengers travel by private vehicle, with a large segment of travelers choosing parking⁴

³ Passenger Terminal Today
‍⁴ Airports Council International Airport Service Quality (ASQ)

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Travelers see parking not as infrastructure, but as part of the overall airport experience.

ABM expertise at work:

• 1M+ Vehicles parked daily
• 2K+ Parking locations managed nationwide
• 800+ Buses in airport operations fleet
• 1K+ Shuttles operated
• 10-15% Average parking revenue increase with ABM parking management
• $1.5B+ In annual parking revenue managed

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The human side of flawless operations

For many travelers, the airport experience is defined by the support they receive when it matters most.

A wheelchair request, gate assistance, queue management, or help making a connection may last only minutes, but those moments leave a lasting impression.

That experience affects more than passenger satisfaction. Travelers who rate their airport experience as “perfect” spend an average of $42.39 in the terminal—about $16.54 more than those who rate it as “just OK.” ⁵

Delivering that level of service requires trained teams, clear processes, and real-time coordination across the terminal.

ABM brings those elements together through integrated technology, standardized workflows, and continuous training. From mobility assistance to wayfinding, our teams help travelers navigate terminals, manage tight connections, and move confidently through busy environments.

By blending high-touch hospitality with operational precision, ABM delivers a smoother, more intuitive experience. The difference comes through in how passengers feel—and what they remember.

• #1 Ease of travel is the number one driver of airport satisfaction ⁶
• 27M+ More than 27 million passengers requested wheelchair assistance on U.S. airlines in a single year ⁷

‍^5,6 JD Power 2025 North America Airport Satisfaction Study
‍⁷ U.S. Department of Transportation

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A calm voice, clear direction, or timely assistance can turn a stressful moment into a positive one.

Passenger services:

• Wheelchair
• Queue Management
• Skycap
• Ticket Verification
• Interline Transfer
• VBC (Vendor Behind Counter)
• BSO (Baggage Services Officer)
• Concierge
• Ambassador
• Security

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The invisible work passengers see everywhere

Travelers form impressions quickly. A spotless restroom, orderly gate area, or well-maintained terminal builds confidence long before passengers reach their gates.

Maintaining those standards across a busy airport is a constant challenge. Passenger volumes shift, gates change, and delays can turn quiet spaces into high-traffic areas within minutes.

Fixed cleaning schedules can’t keep pace. That’s why ABM cleaning teams are proactive, responsive, and equipped to adapt when demand spikes.

ABM has developed airport-specific protocols and training to maintain consistent standards around the clock. Using smart routing and real-time operational data, ABM aligns cleaning teams with passenger movement across the terminal.

By tracking flight schedules, gate changes, and passenger flow, we can anticipate demand and position resources where we’re needed most.

The impact goes beyond appearance. When spaces are clean, stocked, and ready, passengers move with greater confidence and the airport runs more smoothly.

It’s work that often goes unnoticed, but it’s everywhere, helping shape the journey from curbside to jetway.

Clean terminal facilities make up ~55% of overall airport satisfaction⁸

Restroom cleanliness accounts for over 50% of the terminal cleanliness score⁹

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‍⁸ Airports Council International ASQ research
⁹ MDPI: How to Achieve Passenger Satisfaction in the Airport

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Cleanliness is one of the strongest influences on passengers’ perception of the air travel journey.¹⁰

ABM expertise at work:

• 30M+ Square feet of airport properties cleaned daily
• 6B+ Square feet of building space cleaned daily
• 100 Years of experience in commercial janitorial services
• 99% Cleaning methods are designed to capture and remove 99% of dust

¹⁰ JD Power 2025 North America Airport Satisfaction Study

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Engineering a truly great traveler experience

It all must work seamlessly: HVAC, lighting, electrical systems, and the operational essentials passengers rely on without ever thinking about it.

When these systems perform consistently, passengers feel the difference. Steady, comfortable temperatures, reliable, energy-efficient lighting, and well-maintained terminal environments help airports feel well-engineered and dependable.

For airport operators, engineering reliability is the driver of satisfaction, operational efficiency, and on-time performance metrics. Reliable engineering isn’t just infrastructure; it’s what keeps the entire experience moving.

ABM aviation teams bring that operational discipline to complex airport environments. Our onsite engineers, predictive maintenance programs, and integrated CMMS platforms provide real-time visibility into performance, help reduce unplanned downtime, and extend asset life.

Our NETA-certified engineers and technicians work proactively, anticipating issues so operations stay steady and passengers move without interruption.

When engineering performs, systems simply work. The traveler experience stays effortless. Lines move. Spaces remain comfortable. And the journey feels seamless while millions of moving parts are at work.

• 70% Nearly 70% of passengers report dissatisfaction with indoor air quality ¹¹
• 40-60% HVAC systems account for up to 60% of total energy consumption in most airport terminals ¹²

‍‍¹¹ OXMAINT: Airport Terminal Environmental Monitoring with IoT
‍¹² iFactoryAI: Airport HVAC Energy Optimization

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When lighting, indoor air quality, and temperature control perform consistently, the entire airport experience feels effortless.

ABM expertise at work:

• 10K+ Professionals With more than 10,000 engineers and technicians, ABM is one of the nation’s largest onsite facility engineering providers.
• NETA Testing As a fully accredited NETA testing company, ABM helps clients meet NFPA 70E and other critical safety standards.
• 10% Downtime Reduction ABM helped a major airport authority reduce critical system downtime by 10% through a customized maintenance program.¹³
• 8.2% Lower OPEX A top-10 international airport reduced operating expenses by 8.2% within 15 months of partnering with ABM.¹⁴
• 57% ROI Engineering-led infrastructure upgrades at a major airport delivered a 57% annualized return on investment.
• $170,000 Energy Savings A 1.1 million-square-foot airport terminal saved $170,000 in its first year using ABM Connect™.

¹³ ABM.com/perspectives/turn-key-airport-shuttle-operations
‍¹⁴ ABM.com/perspectives/upgrading-the-parking-experience-for-lax

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From terminal to cabin, one consistent experience

The passenger experience continues into the moment travelers step onboard.

A clean cabin, prepared seating areas, stocked lavatories, and a ready aircraft all shape how passengers feel before departure—and how they remember the journey afterward.

ABM delivers through coordinated cabin cleaning and passenger services designed for the realities of modern air travel. Working within tight turnaround windows and changing flight schedules, ABM teams help aircraft remain clean, prepared, and ready for departure, creating a more consistent experience from terminal to takeoff.

That passenger-focused approach extends into the aircraft itself. ABM aviation teams clean more than 1.3 million aircraft each year and support operations for the top 10 U.S. airlines.

Our teams are trained, badged, and aligned to airline SOPs, with work coordinated to meet demanding schedules without compromising quality.

When the cabin is ready, everything feels smoother. Passengers board with confidence, crews stay on schedule, and the transition from gate to aircraft feels seamless.

• Cleanliness Cabin and lavatory conditions play an important role when it comes to in-flight satisfaction ¹⁵
• Top 10 ABM aviation teams support operations for the top 10 U.S. airlines

‍¹⁵ American Customer Satisfaction Index

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Strong turnaround performance keeps flight departures smooth and confidence high.

ABM expertise at work:

• 1.3M+ ABM aviation teams clean over 1.3M aircraft each year ¹⁶
• 10 of the top 10 airlines in the U.S. trust ABM with solutions that surpass passenger expectations
• 100+ ABM has over 100 years of commercial cleaning expertise
• Flexibility Using insights from sensor technology, real-time flight data, and predictive technology, ABM can flex servicing when and where needed

‍¹⁶ ABM.com/perspectives/fast-facts-airport-airline-services

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Building accountability into terminal operations

ABM brings visibility, consistency, and coordination at airport scale

For high-performing airports, every function must work together.

Passengers care whether the journey feels easy, safe, clean, and well managed, not where one vendor’s responsibility ends and another begins.

At ABM, integration and accountability are everything. Our solutions align people, processes, and priorities to create a smoother, safer experience for everyone moving through the terminal.

By bringing services together under one coordinated model, ABM creates greater visibility, alignment, and ownership across the operation. Mobile workflows, real-time updates, and performance dashboards help teams stay informed and connected.

The result is an operation that stays responsive, adapts to demand, and delivers a more consistent experience from one moment to the next.

That’s the difference between managing services and delivering an exceptional passenger journey.

That is Seat to Seat.

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Putting customers first to enhance parking

Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT) is a growing regional airport where parking plays a critical role in the passenger experience. As the airport expanded, leadership saw an opportunity to strengthen parking as both a service and a competitive advantage.

Challenge

Unlike major hubs, ICT doesn’t compete with offsite parking providers. Instead, it competes with nearby airports and rideshare options. To attract and retain travelers, ICT needed to improve the parking experience—making it easier, more intuitive, and more compelling from the moment passengers arrive.

Solution

ABM conducted customer focus groups to identify key pain points and guide targeted improvements. These insights led to clearer garage signage, stronger promotion of parking value, and the introduction of loyalty and reservation programs to improve convenience and retention.

As ICT continues to grow, ABM also supports modernization efforts, advising on revenue control systems, EV charging solutions, and centralized data platforms to help the airport evaluate vendors and build a more connected, future-ready parking operation.

This approach reflects a broader model—integrating landside operations into a more connected passenger journey.

Results

The results are both operational and experiential. ICT maintains consistent service quality as it grows, supported by a stable team and streamlined operations. More than 1,400 users have adopted the Frequent Parker Program, while customer insights continue to inform pricing and marketing strategies.

With ABM as a single partner, ICT can adapt quickly—delivering a smoother, more competitive parking experience from the start.

ICT by the numbers:

• #1 Largest, busiest airport in Kansas
• #3 In USA Today’s 10 Best Small Airports 2020
• $200M Renovation completed in 2015, including a $40M parking facility

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Elevating the Terminal B guest experience to “Best in the World”

Following a $5.1 billion redevelopment, LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B set a new standard for modern air travel. But delivering a world-class facility was only part of the challenge.

Challenge

For Terminal B, LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP) needed a facilities partner capable of translating that investment into a consistently exceptional passenger experience, every day, across every touchpoint. Responsibilities included managing asset preservation and lifecycle management, exceeding sustainability objectives, and meeting supplier diversity goals.

Solution

ABM stepped into the role with a unified strategy built around a simple idea: One Team, One Terminal. Rather than managing services in silos, ABM aligned operations, staffing, and performance across all functions, creating a single, integrated system of accountability.

This system brought together a wide range of facility services under one integrated model, ABM Performance Solutions, including engineering, transportation, cleaning, guest experience, security, and more. Using centralized dashboards and coordinated workflows, teams could respond quickly to changing conditions and deploy resources where needed across a complex, high-volume environment.

Benefits

Terminal B became the first airport terminal in North America to earn the highest 5-Star Rating from Skytrax, and was named the World’s Best New Airport Terminal in the 2023 World Airport Awards.

Today, ABM oversees more than 600 team members supporting a complex environment that includes 35 gates, nearly 50 retail and dining spaces, and thousands of daily passengers. Together we’ve achieved a consistent 5-star guest experience, improved asset reliability, operational efficiency,
and stronger community impact.

LGA by the numbers:

• $5.1B Redevelopment project
• 1.3M Square feet of facilities
• 6 Airlines fly through LGA Terminal B
• 35 Gates
• Nearly 50 Shops and restaurants
• 5K Workers onsite

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Advancing performance through technology and teamwork

Built in 2001, JFK’s Terminal 4 is one of the busiest airport environments in the U.S., serving 25 million passengers annually and welcoming up to 80,000 travelers each day. As expectations for sustainability and passenger experience increased, the terminal needed a new approach to maintain performance at scale.

Challenge

Rising passenger volumes and evolving standards put pressure on legacy infrastructure not designed for today’s demand. The terminal needed to improve cleanliness, efficiency, and environmental performance—without slowing daily operations.

Solution

JFK International Air Terminal (JFKIAT) partnered with ABM to implement a more responsive, data-driven model. Instead of static schedules, ABM aligned cleaning and maintenance with real-time passenger flow, deploying teams where demand was building.

A “smart clean” ecosystem, powered by IoT technologies, automated work orders, and centralized dashboards, gave teams real-time visibility into operations. A workforce of 385 professionals supported continuous coverage across landside and airside spaces, backed by transparent reporting and close collaboration.

Benefits

Terminal 4 became the first preexisting airport terminal to achieve LEED® Platinum certification, reducing water use by 21% and lowering energy consumption. Demand-based cleaning also improved passenger experience, contributing to a 7-point increase in restroom satisfaction. Today, Terminal 4 operates with greater consistency—supporting sustainability goals and a more reliable traveler experience.

JFK by the numbers:

• 25M Annual passengers
• 23M Square feet of facilities
• 385 Team members
• LEED® Platinum certified terminal