Case Study - Munich Airport

Punctuality Guaranteed Thanks To Radio Data Transmission

The DNeT IPC Optimises Bus Usage at Munich Airport

Munich Airport’s ground handling service uses 70 DLoG radio transmission terminals in it’s buses to ensure efficient transportation. This has proved a success. Optimised bus usage has reduced response times and made processes both faster and more flexible. Thanks to this, the transportation service has been able to meet the airlines’ new and more demanding quality standards – despite continual increases in passenger numbers and flights.

Munich Airport ranks number one for punctuality among large German airports. This is due to well-coordinated and seamlessly integrated background processes. All 380 employees in the transportation service, 290 of them drivers, are actively engaged in fulfilling the most varied demands. The airlines set the most demanding requirements. They have the right to assert their own agreed quality standards, such as determining the number of buses available to them prior to take-off and after landing. They can also set deadlines for availability. “An increasing challenge,” comments Christoph Schneider-Nolting, the manager with special responsibility for ground handling serfices, “especially when you consider that we had to handle 331,000 flights last year, and this number keeps growing.”

New Radio Data Transmission Terminals Required for Airport Buses

As early as 2000, Christoph Schneider-Nolting saw it would not be possible to upgrade the existing system using devices installed in airport buses and connected to a homemade narrowband transmission solution. This meant the system was not able to meet future demands. “Today, our drivers have to take an integrated approach to the way they work,” he explains. “Thanks to the new DLoG terminals, they are permanently online and in continuous contact with the scheduling department. This has two particular advantages: While a bus is still carrying out a transportation order, the dispatchers can already schedule the bus for the next task. This results in huge time savings and maximum flexibility. At the same time our drivers are always very well informed. So if the need arises, the new solution allows drivers to provide crews and transfer passengers with accurate information about take-off and landing times or gate numbers.”

Looking for a New Solution

“Right from the start we were looking for an open, future proofed solution,” recalls Schneider-Nolting. “We wanted a touch screen with a freely configurable interface to meet our needs. It also had to be user friendly and allow user-guided order processing. We also wanted a system equipped with the latest radio transmission technology according to the IEEE 802.11 standard. And we needed a range of interfaces so we could quickly and easily integrate new applications such as GPS, advertising on TVs in the buses or event-driven sound files.

A Careful Decision

After the preliminary selection phase, three out of the original eight radio data transmission terminal providers made it to the second round. DLoG GmbH and two other companies were given the opportunity to demonstrate their solutions at the airport. Between May and August 2002, the drivers tested the devices under real conditions. The computers were installed on the buses so that terminals could be put through their paces. In September 202, the decision was made in favour of the DNeT IPC 5/100 from DLoG System developer Karl Thumbs describes the decision making process as follows: “The openness, expandability, and performance had already made the DLoG terminal the project team’s secret favourite – even before our drivers stared the practical tests. So it was all the sweeter to find out that nearly all of them preferred the DNeT IPC 5/100. The terminal offers the right balance between size and performance. It also provides a large display given it’s size, making it easy to operate,” concluded Thumbs. According to him, users also found the interface quick and easy to understand, and the generous button size meant it was easy to operate. An added benefit was the automatic brightness control, which regulates the display contrast to suit the levels of sunlight. So compared to the other devices, the menu on DLoG’s product was the easiest to use and read.

Chrisoph Schneider-Nolting adds: “When working with DLoG, they strove to meet our needs and provided impeccable service. They were able to implement our customisation for the relay switching 12V power supply for an external alarm horn quickly and without complication,” When the entire new system when live on 26 May 2003, daily operations continued without any problems.

Conclusion

Balduin Koczynski, head of the transportation service, told us how successfully the employees work with the new terminals in the wireless network: “We performed an internal benchmark test, so to speak, comparing ourselves with another large German airport. In this instance, the aim was to supply airplanes with fresh water,” he explains. “We defined criteria for the number of operations per day, human resource allocation, vehicle requirements, and distances travelled and weighted them against each other. The result: we achieved the same results as the other airport with 40 per cent less effort.” Christoph Schneider-Nolting is more than happy as well: “The DLoG solution has been so well accepted and functions so well that we really want to se more. The next stage is to plan the project for tracking vehicle positins and update our scheduling system further. This will allow Munich airport passengers to embark punctually, even under difficult conditions.”

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Flyer: Munich Airport Case Story