Passenger growth exposes friction in Changi’s payment system

Limited payment integration is creating traveler frustration at key touchpoints.

As travel rebounds in Singapore, rising traffic at Changi is revealing payment friction, with 1 in 4 Singaporeans saying airports are the worst place to face payment issues, according to a report by Amadeus.

“Changi… is a world class airport, but almost perhaps a victim of its own success,” said Lance Batty, Head of Asia Pacific Commercial at Outpayce from Amadeus. “There was an increase just in the last year of over a million passengers traveling out of Changi… inbound arrivals will grow from 17 to 18 million passengers this year.”

This growth is creating tension between two competing operational objectives: the airport’s aim to move people quickly through to their gates, and airlines’ efforts to offer last-minute upsell opportunities—such as seat upgrades or baggage add-ons.

“Airlines today have really re-developed themselves as modern day retailers,” Batty explained. “They see the airport as the last opportunity possible to sell a service to a customer… for example, an exit row seat before a long flight.”
However, these opportunities are being hindered by fragmented payment journeys. “A classic scenario might be at an automated bag drop, where a customer has a chance to buy an excess bag or also… an exit row seat at a kiosk,” he said. “And because of the current limitations, they're being asked to perhaps walk to another part of the airport to complete that purchase, then come back and complete the check-in a second time.”

This lack of on-the-spot payment flexibility is where traveler frustration often begins. Batty stressed that both airports and airlines must focus on convenience and security from the traveler’s perspective.

“[Travelers] want the ability to choose the right forms of payment that suit them… and they want a secure option as well. They often want to pay using their own device,” he added.

Looking abroad, Batty cited Hamburg Airport’s move to cloud-based infrastructure as a best practice. “What this allows is really a future proof solution… airports can move hardware across different parts of the airport at basically soft refurbishments… the costs actually reduce for all parties,” he said.