How a Major International Airport Improved User Engagement & Experience
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How a Major International Airport Improved User Engagement & Experience
A major international airport, operated by one of the world’s largest airport operators and owned by a local council, sought to enhance its digital presence by transitioning to a headless CMS. The primary objective was to improve user experience, increase operational efficiency, and ensure that the website aligns with the airport’s brand values while meeting WCAG accessibility standards.
The existing architecture made changes harder and riskier to release.
Difficulty in reusing content across different channels.
Challenges in selecting and maintaining modern UX frameworks.
Manual scaling of services, keeping them at high capacity even during non-peak times.
Direct integration of third-party data providers into the CMS, complicating data reuse across systems.
VE3 conducted an in-depth analysis to understand the airport’s specific needs, focusing on delivering real-time operational information, enhancing guest experience, and ensuring brand alignment.
A proof-of-concept was performed to evaluate several headless CMS options that would best meet the airport's needs. The options considered included Contentstack, Contentful, and Ampliance.
VE3 developed a comprehensive migration plan that aimed to minimize downtime and risks. The strategy included a phased approach to roll out the new system, ensuring no disruption to the availability of the website and associated services during the transfer process.
VE3 set up new cloud infrastructure components, including Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) for managing front-end containerized applications, Azure API Management for API gateway services, and Azure Blob Storage for storing static assets. The infrastructure was designed to be scalable and secure, ensuring compliance with the airport’s requirements for data to be in the UK or EU.
VE3 migrated all existing content and digital assets to the new headless CMS, ensuring that the data was correctly formatted and accessible. The migration included integrating the airport’s live data feeds for flight information, surface access, and other operational details.
Post-deployment, VE3 implemented Azure Monitor and Azure Log Analytics for real-time performance monitoring. The system included tools to monitor and report on website performance, response times, and availability, with alerts sent via email and SMS when the website became unavailable or experienced severe degradation.
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VE3’s expertise in managing complex CMS migrations and enhancing digital capabilities was instrumental in the successful transition of the major international airport’s website to a headless CMS. The project not only improved the user experience and operational efficiency but also ensured that the website aligns with the airport’s brand values and accessibility standards. VE3 continues to support the airport with ongoing maintenance and 24/7 support, ensuring the website remains secure, efficient, and up to date.
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