Fujitsu Services

Planes, trains and automobiles

Manchester Airport and Fujitsu launch UK's first passenger information system linking rail, road and air

Manchester, 29th April 2004 — Passenger experiences at Manchester Airport will be made more convenient, fast and easy thanks to the launch of a new kiosk-based transport information system provided by Fujitsu Services, one of Europe's leading IT infrastructure management services companies. MAISY (Manchester Airport Information System) is the first interactive passenger information system linking air, rail and bus journeys, giving passengers free information and advice on travelling to the airport and assistance when they get there.

MAISY kiosks are designed to encourage passengers to use public transport more and provide a less stressful, planned travelling experience. They are located throughout the airport and at key public transport hubs at Manchester Piccadilly and Wigan railway stations, giving passengers access to flight and travel information around the region. Users are guided around the kiosk services by an avatar, an animated personal assistant also called MAISY.

Fujitsu Services designed and built the hardware and software in conjunction with Manchester Airport's product team, in a multi-million pound contract. It uses touch-screen multimedia kiosks that allow passengers to search real-time information and print step-by-step directions for flights, passenger services and retail outlets in the airport, as well as public transport information for travel into Manchester city centre and around the UK. MAISY is partly funded by the EU under a directive designed to encourage greater use of public transport.

MAISY is integrated with Manchester Airport's real-time flight information systems and their journey planners system (JPS), which contains national rail, coach and bus schedules. As well as detailed maps of the airport, the system shows graphically how to get to your destination anywhere in the UK.

John Spooner, managing director of Manchester Airport, commented, "Around 20 million passengers pass through Manchester Airport every year and this figure is expected to double by 2015. With this kind of an increase, we felt that we needed to complement the excellent service already provided by our customer service advisors. We are delighted that our relationship with Fujitsu has provided a unique network of travel kiosks that will enhance the already high standards of customer service at the airport. Once again Manchester Airport is leading the way when it comes to providing modern facilities and information for passengers."

Neill Walker, project director, Fujitsu Services, said: "The technology requirements of this system were very clear; it had to work with Manchester Airport's and the UK's existing transport systems, be highly reliable and upgradeable, easy to use by a range of people and provide clear instructions to them. We started the design from scratch and decided very early on that an avatar would need to play a key role in meeting these requirements to make the system easy to approach and use. And, with the real-time information MAISY will deliver, will mean passengers will be better informed throughout their journey and be able to move through the airport quicker, making the travelling experience more enjoyable and hassle-free."

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About Fujitsu Services

Fujitsu Services is one of the leading IT services companies in Europe, Middle East and Africa . It has an annual turnover of £1.74 billion, (€2.58 billion) employs 14,500 people and operates in over 20 countries. It designs, builds and operates IT systems and services for customers in the financial services, telecom, retail, utilities and government markets. Its core strength is the delivery of IT infrastructure management and outsourcing across desktop, networking and data centre environments, together with a full range of related services, from consulting through integration and deployment. Headquartered in London, Fujitsu Services is the European-centred IT services arm of the Fujitsu Group. The Fujitsu Group is a US$45 billion (€37 billion) leader in customer-focused IT systems and services for the global marketplace.
For more information, please see: uk.fujitsu.com

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