Why airports need a heart: the unseen cost of losing human touch

Anna Bryukova, IAP, Aviation consultant, Psychologist
Dr. Pepina Miteva – Aviation HR consultant, PhD in Human Resources

In this month’s Five Minute Feature, authors Anna Bryukova and Dr. Pepina Miteva explore the growing role of AI in airport customer service, sharing their expert opinions on how to integrate the incredible potential for optimisation that AI offers without jeopardising customer experience. As travellers expect a more seamless airport experience, yet continue to value human-centred interactions, how can we strike the perfect balance? Find out more below.

The aviation industry is undergoing nothing short of a revolution. At conferences, in aviation industry media, and expert publications, debates rage about rapid digitalisation and AI integration. Industry leaders passionately discuss how technology will reshape our reality in the coming decades: which professions will vanish, which processes will be transformed beyond recognition, and what the airport of the future might look like.

Even now, traditional customer service is unthinkable without technological solutions. As highlighted in SITA’s Megatrends analysis, modern travellers expect a seamless travel experience – a smooth, comfortable journey from doorstep to destination. Online check-in, self-bag drop-off, biometric passport control, and digital boarding passes have already made airports more convenient than ever. Most airports aggressively pursue process optimisation and cost reduction through digitalisation, promising consistent – or even enhanced – service quality. 

Yet in this race for efficiency, the human factor often gets overlooked. Check-in agents, ticket sales managers, and information desk staff are becoming relics of the past. Cleaning robots, AI-powered call centres, automated restaurant ordering, and self-checkout retail: airports are charging toward a self-service-first model where human interaction is the exception, not the norm. 

This growing trend toward automation alarms some experts – and for good reason. 

At first glance, these advancements appear to represent pure progress – until we consider human psychology. No matter how sophisticated, technology cannot override fundamental human needs: for safety, connection, love, and belonging to a community. Even digital-native Gen Z and Alpha still value live interaction. And what of Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y travellers, who comprise 85% of passengers today? For many, explaining a concern to a human agent, rather than an AI kiosk, isn’t about convenience, but psychological security. 

The anxiety surrounding air travel, compounded by security procedures, taps into our primal need for safety. For countless passengers, stress relief comes through human contact: a reassuring explanation, a patient listener, or simply sharing worries with someone who cares. This isn’t just comfort – it directly impacts passenger satisfaction and purchasing power. After all, relaxed travellers benefit everyone: from operations teams to commercial stakeholders. 

This raises a pivotal question: What are the unintended consequences of replacing human contact with machine interactions?

The issue is particularly acute in cultures where communication is central to social dynamics – Latin America, the Middle East, CIS nations, and Southern Europe. Full automation in these regions may yield unexpected backlash.

Already in other sectors (banking, retail, e-commerce), access to human staff has become a premium service. Is aviation heading toward a future where personalised attention is reserved solely for first-class and business passengers?

If current automation trends continue unchecked, the answer may well be “yes”. AI systems are celebrated for their ability to handle high-volume, repetitive tasks with speed and consistency: check-in, baggage handling, customer queries, flight updates. From a cost-efficiency standpoint, it makes perfect sense to delegate these tasks to machines. But from a human experience standpoint, this approach is deeply asymmetric.

The growing reliance on AI risks creating a two-tier passenger experience: one where upper-class travellers enjoy curated, human-centred service, and everyone else interacts primarily with algorithms. In such a model, the human factor is commoditised: no longer a universal right, but a benefit tied to ticket class. This has serious implications in aviation, where emotional reassurance, contextual judgment, and cultural sensitivity are not luxuries but operational necessities.

AI lacks the situational awareness to truly understand fear, confusion, or cultural nuance. It can simulate empathy, but it cannot genuinely respond to a grieving passenger, a language barrier, or a moment of personal crisis. In contrast, a trained human agent can read body language, recognise distress, and apply discretion in ways no machine can replicate. These moments often occur at touchpoints invisible to KPIs – but they shape passenger perceptions and loyalty in profound ways.

Undeniably, AI outperforms humans in data processing, analytics, and even mood-adaptive communication. But it can never replicate the warmth of a PRM agent guiding a child with disabilities through the airport’s labyrinth. It won’t share the joy of parents reuniting with their children. It can’t appreciate an employee pet photo exhibition in the terminal gallery, because it lacks the capacity for genuine reflection.

The danger is that as AI becomes the face of air travel for the many, and human care becomes a premium feature for the few, we risk diluting the foundational promise of civil aviation: to connect people, not just physically, but emotionally and socially.

To preserve this promise, the aviation industry must treat human interaction not as a luxury but as a strategic asset. AI should be used to enhance human services, not to replace them entirely. A truly intelligent system is not one that eliminates the human factor, but one that knows when it’s time to hand over to a human being.

People will never stop craving authentic connections with unique individuals. Yet AI, now worshipped as the pinnacle of efficiency, modernity, and reliability, will forever remain just a tool, limited by the intentions of its creators.

Therefore, we must urgently balance two parallel discussions: the implementation of AI/automation in airports, and the psychologisation of travel processes. We need to adapt airport procedures to passengers’ psychological needs, not just optimise them for operational metrics or make them externally attractive.

The challenge lies in creating an aviation ecosystem where AI and automation serve to complement the human experience, allowing for a seamless, efficient journey while also addressing the emotional and psychological needs of all passengers. In doing so, airports and airlines can maintain their commitment to inclusivity and customer satisfaction, ensuring that the benefits of technological progress are shared by all. After all, at the heart of every flight is not just a destination, but the people who make the journey meaningful.

We can confidently assume that airports and airlines should shift from a customer-oriented to a human-centric approach. Aviation must anchor its service development in passengers’ psychological and emotional needs. Technology should serve humanity, never the other way around.

Anna Bryukova, IAP, Aviation consultant, Psychologist. She has dedicated 15 years to terminal operations, customer service, and aviation training, holding various leadership roles at airlines and airports in Europe. Today, she consults on international airport operational readiness projects, develops training programs for aviation professionals, and supports personal growth through her psychology practice.

Pepina Miteva brings over 20 years of international experience in aviation people management, development, and training. She has held key roles as an Airport HR Manager and Aviation HR Consultant, contributing to more than 15 global projects. Pepina holds a Doctorate in Human Resources and a World Master Certification in People Management, Development, and Training. She is an active member of the ACI Europe Leadership & HR Forum and leader of the ACI Europe Sustainability & HR Working Group.