Large international terminals are one of the most stressful parts of travel. Avianca partnered with RouteMe to give every traveler turn by turn guidance from the booking confirmation all the way to boarding.
Built into the Avianca app, RouteMe now guides about 15,000 passengers a month, including travelers with anxiety, autism and other needs who benefit most from knowing the way ahead of time.
The airline
Avianca is one of the oldest and largest airlines in the Western Hemisphere, serving more than 30 million passengers a year across the Americas, the Caribbean and Europe, with its main hub at El Dorado (BOG) and major operations at JFK.
The challenge
- Gate changes create panic. A last minute move from gate 42 to gate 87 sends passengers sprinting with no idea which way to go.
- First time visitors feel lost. Printed maps do little in an unfamiliar, sprawling terminal.
- Tight connections leave no room for error. A wrong concourse means a missed flight.
- Staff can't scale directions. Agents answer "where do I go?" instead of rebooking and helping travelers.
The solution
Avianca made RouteMe a native feature of its mobile app, so guidance starts the moment a trip is booked.
Pre-trip guidance in the app
Passengers see parking, entrances and walking times weeks or minutes before departure.
Real time gate change alerts
When a gate changes, RouteMe pushes a notification with updated directions to the new gate.
Curb to gate, accessible by default
Step by step guidance through security, past lounges and retail to the gate, with step free routes, multiple languages and voice guidance.
No infrastructure
Avianca launched without beacons, hardware or coordination with airport operators.
The results
- About 15,000 passengers a month use RouteMe inside the Avianca app.
- Live in about a month. The app integration took roughly one month from kickoff to launch.
- Gate changes handled smoothly with real time notifications and directions.
- Fewer missed connections thanks to clear routes and time to gate alerts.
- Agents refocused on rebooking, baggage and service instead of directions.
Looking forward
Avianca plans to bring RouteMe to more hub airports, add baggage carousel guidance and extend navigation to ground transportation and hotel partners.
