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CASE STUDY
Increasing Revenue per Enplaned Passenger Through Dynamic Commercial Optimization
A data-driven approach to maximizing non-aeronautical revenue and passenger value at Toronto Pearson Airport.
CLIENT
Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA)
INDUSTRY
Airport Operations & Management
ANNUAL PASSENGERS
50M
01
The Challenge
Inflexible Systems and Inefficient Asset Use
The client airport needed to increase sales per enplaned passenger (SPP) and overall revenue per enplaned passenger (RPP) without relying solely on passenger growth. Like many airports, they faced increasing operational costs and airline pressure to keep aeronautical charges competitive.
However, commercial revenue performance remained under-optimized due to rigid concession structures based on fixed minimum guarantees and standard percentage-of-sales models.
Limited integration between flight schedules, passenger profiles, and point-of-sale systems-combined with legacy reporting tools that lacked real-time visibility and forecasting-restricted actionable insights.
Key Pain Points
Underperforming commercial revenue
Rigid concession structures
Limited real-time visibility
Disconnected operational data
02
The Solution
Configurable Rules to Manage Behaviour
PlaneSight's AirportCity module provided a modern, agile solution specifically designed for concessions & gate revenue management.
Integrated Passenger & Flight Data Model
All flight schedules, passenger volumes, demographic segmentation, and point-of-sale data were consolidated into a centralized data environment, creating a single, reliable source of truth for both aeronautical and commercial performance.
Optimized Aero Traffic Planning
By analyzing aircraft type, route mix, passenger demographics, and peak dwell periods, the airport optimized gate allocation and flight scheduling to prioritize higher-yield traffic. This allowed the airport to strategically attract and accommodate routes and aircraft that generated stronger non-aeronautical revenue per enplaned passenger.
Demographic-Based Concession Optimization
Retail and F&B offerings were realigned based on passenger profiles— international, premium, leisure, and business travellers— ensuring the right commercial mix in the right locations. Concession agreements were restructured to include performance-based components tied to passenger mix, dwell time, and spend per segment.
03
The Result
Maximized Passenger Value and Revenue Performance
GTAA improved commercial revenue performance by using integrated passenger and operational data to optimize concession planning and decision-making. The solution enabled greater visibility, flexibility, and revenue growth across airport commercial operations.
Increased Sales per Enplaned Passenger
Through optimized aero traffic planning and demographic-based concession alignment, the Tier 1 airport increased sales per enplaned passenger (SPE) by 55.5% within 12 months, significantly outperforming historical growth trends.
Optimized Traffic Mix for Higher Yield
By prioritizing routes, aircraft types, and passenger segments with stronger commercial spend profiles, the airport ensured that passenger growth translated directly into higher revenue per enplaned passenger-not just higher volume.
Gained Commercial Agility
With real-time performance visibility, the airport could quickly adjust concession mix, promotional strategies, and space allocation in response to seasonality and traffic shifts-transforming commercial management into a dynamic revenue optimization function.
The Bottom Line
By integrating aero traffic optimization with demographic-driven concession strategy, the airport significantly increased revenue per enplaned passenger and unlocked sustainable non-aeronautical revenue growth without relying solely on passenger volume expansion.
By aligning our traffic strategy with passenger demographics and commercial performance data, we shifted from managing volume to managing value. The results were immediate and measurable.
Suzanne Merrell
Associate Director, Commercial Development, GTAA