Beyond the Boards: Why Content Strategy Drives Airport Revenue, Reputation, and Efficiency

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any path will get you there.”

This quote, popularly attributed to Lewis Carroll, applies perfectly to airport AV projects.

For decades, airports have leaned on traditional legacy digital signage, such as FIDS, BIDS, GIDS, and other information display boards, to keep passengers informed. For modern passengers, that isn't enough.

These tools serve an essential function, but in today’s high-volume, mobile-first world, “function” isn’t enough. They’re technical systems without strategy. They display data, but they don’t connect with passengers or deliver genuine communication. Disparate systems, disjointed content, and other gaps leave passengers’ communication needs unmet. Separate systems share different messages in different places, making it more challenging for passengers to understand and engage with the content they see.

Communication doesn’t happen unless the message is delivered and received. Whether a hundred million or a hundred thousand passengers move through your airport each year, airports need to think holistically about how they relate and engage with them. To truly partner with passengers, decision-makers and influences need to change the way they think and communicate in ways passengers are willing and able to accept.

This was discussed in detail at Future Travel Experience Global 2025 (FTE), during our panel Smarter Signage Stars Here, moderated by Faith Varwig, Founder & Managing Principal of Faith Group, and featuring Yahav Ran, CEO of Synect, Prasad Yarlagadda, AVP of Enterprise Systems at DFW International Airport, and Ian Birnbaum, Project Manager at Burns Engineering.

Our panel took the stage to explore the future of airport communication at FTE Global 2025.

Communication, Not Just Systems

When airports talk about upgrading digital signage, the conversation can’t start with hardware or software. What’s the best screen? Should my system be local or cloud? Can the software automatically update FIDS? Those are fair questions—hardware and software are expensive—but they’re just delivery mechanisms. All the hardware, software, and infrastructure in a system exist for the sole purpose of enabling communication by delivering engaging, effective, and mutually beneficial content.

The more important question is: What outcome is the system supposed to deliver?

As Synect CEO Yahav Ran shared after the event, focusing on the delivery mechanism over what is being delivered misses the point:

“You have to approach anything you do as a way for an airport to communicate better with passengers.”

That shift, from systems-first to communication-first, is how airports unlock the real benefits of digital signage. With the right content strategy, each display transforms from a static output to a dynamic channel that fulfills passenger needs and airport goals.

MCO implemented a new content experience, Annie’s Journey, to enhance passengers’ experiences at the West Checkpoint. Learn how it was built in our case study.

A Framework for Earning Attention

Passenger needs are constantly shifting. At different stages, passengers may seek control, familiarity, options, and more. If those needs aren’t met, airports create a needs deficit. If that deficit goes unaddressed, it can even become a crisis.

Synect’s Passenger360® platform and ReadySeeGo® solutions fulfill those needs by following a simple framework:

• Attract: surface timely, relevant information that captures scarce attention.

• Relate: connect content to immediate needs, lowering anxiety and building trust.

• Engage: guide behavior toward outcomes that benefit both passengers and the airport.

Engagement supports three tangible outcomes:

1. Revenue

2. Reputation

3. Efficiency

MCO’s wayfinding solutions make it easier for passengers to access and explore the airport.

Revenue: Beyond Templated Tables

If your signage is just flight tables stuffed into templates, it won’t grow non-aeronautical revenue. At best, you can squeeze in a few concession logos or run ads.

But that barely scratches the surface. With a content-first strategy, revenue growth is built into the journey:

• Checkpoint programs spotlight post-security dining and retail.

• Airport-wide nudges encourage stops at concessions or amenities before boarding.

• Passenger360-driven efficiency enables travelers to move through checkpoints faster, leaving them happier, less stressed, and with more time to explore and spend.

• Immersive, large-format canvases turn gate area concessions into brand moments with helpful updates passengers can see from anywhere, keeping them relaxed as they shop, sip, or savor.

These aren’t “extras.” And they aren’t wishful thinking. J.D. Power recently reported that passengers who find their airport experience “perfect” spend an average of $42.39 in the terminal, while passengers who rated the experience “just OK” only spent $16.00. Content strategy and smarter systems are revenue multipliers.

Annie’s Journey at MCO's West Checkpoint recommends amenities and helps passengers move through security more quickly, making it more likely that they’ll spend money in the airport.

Reputation: Building the Passenger Experience

Basic FIDS may still function, but they don’t inspire loyalty or raise rankings. Content-first systems make every touchpoint part of the airport brand:

• Wayfinding that welcomes: dynamic, multilingual, and accessible.

• Stress-reducing checkpoints: TSA-approved ReadySeeGo® content lowers perceived wait times.

• Signature experiences: blending security preparation with branded storytelling improves passenger experiences while increasing throughput, as shown by Annie’s Journey at Orlando International Airport.

• Facility-wide sense of place and ambiance: digital canvases double as windows to the region or celebrate art create an airport people enjoy, photograph, share, and remember.

Welcoming wayfinding transforms the airport experience. Our multilingual solution ensures everyone feels welcome, as shown in this sample from ADPCS 2025.

Great experiences and content makes airports destinations in their own right. J.D. Power backs this up, finding: “When airports create a genuine “sense of place,"…passenger satisfaction increases by an average of 190 points.”

Efficiency: Smarter Systems, Smoother Operations

Legacy signage only deliver what's scheduled. Content-first platforms actively manage flow:

• Dynamic checkpoint instructions adjust language, layout, and process in real time.

• Common-use content at check-in flexes with demand.

• Airport-wide integration powers wayfinding, FIDS, branding, concessions, and emergency messaging with a single platform.

• Adaptive, flexible, and smart operations meet airports’ dynamic needs, from updating every screen to welcome international sports fans to updating wayfinding during periods of congestion or displaying custom messaging during irregular operations.

Efficiency is about much more than hardware or software. It’s about strategic communication.

From Legacy Boards to Living Systems

As Ian Birnbaum said during our panel, the industry is already beyond FIDS.

The path forward is clear. Airports can keep investing in static systems that “inform.” Or they can adopt a content-first strategy that transforms every screen into a living, adaptive communication asset. The right content can benefit passengers, the airport, and third-party stakeholders like concessionaires in equal measure.

Ultimately, the question isn’t about displays or systems. It’s about whether your airport's content is merely informing, or if it’s driving revenue, reputation, and efficiency.

Ready to get started? Get in touch now to learn more about what content strategy and smart systems can do for your airport.