Infrastructure angle

Process passengers on a single platform

Smart technology can improve the bottom line of airlines, airports and ground handlers while enhancing the passenger experience. The new Common Use Passenger Processing Systems (CUPPS) standard will help facilitate - rather than mandate - business processes.

CUPPS - How we got here

  • In 1984, SITA introduced Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE) for passenger check-in and boarding - it was quickly adopted by airlines and airports worldwide
  • Since 1994, additional providers have created their own versions of common use platforms, each with its own unique requirements, forcing airlines to create different versions of their common use applications
  • In 2004, the industry developed a major rewrite of CUTE to produce a single global standard for all platforms
  • The result, in 2010, is CUPPS - the new recommended practice by IATA and now available with SITA's AirportConnect Open platform

The development of CUPPS is an official process sanctioned by IATA, ACI and the Air Transport Association, marking the first time that all three organizations have worked together to mandate a new standard for the industry.

CUPPS vs. CUTE

"Elimination of custom printers and paper products for boarding passes alone can reduce costs by as much as 25%." - IATA

Issues with CUTE include:

  • Increasing expenses for airlines to create and maintain different versions of passenger check-in and boarding applications for each CUTE vendor
  • Dependency on expensive, specialized printers for airlines who want to use Windows-based printers for boarding passes and bag tags
  • Inability to address airports' competitive realities and budgetary constraints of tenants - from long-established airlines to newer, low-cost carriers

CUPPS provides:

  • Standardized business processes, such as application certification and software distribution, across all CUPPS providers and airports
  • Virtualization of peripheral components, such as printers, hardware, readers and other operating systems - significantly reducing technology costs
  • Maximum utilization of ticket counters, gates and other facilities
  • Consistent customer experience at all CUPPS airports

Early success for CUPPS during IATA pilot programme at Orlando International

"The CUPPS technology will make a significant difference to airlines as it will replace the CUTE standard and avoid airlines having to develop their own applications to work with different platforms. Orlando is pleased to have been involved in delivering this technology to the industry."

- John Vinelli, Manager, Information Technology,
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority

Following exhaustive testing at Orlando International Airport, Continental Airlines became the first US air carrier to achieve CUPPS certification.

SITA's AirportConnect Open is the only fully-integrated, field-tested, common use check-in and boarding platform capable of supporting CUPPS, legacy CUTE, proprietary and Web-based applications, as well as CUSS (Common Use Self Service) kiosk applications.

AirportConnect Open is interoperable with other CUPPS platforms - i.e. an airline's CUPPS application can run on multiple vendor platforms, thereby eliminating the airline's cost of certifying its applications on each platform.

"SITA is providing the CUPPS platform, and we are very satisfied with the results we are seeing through running InfoConnect, [Continental's CUPPS application that was] developed by Attachmate, our terminal emulator provider. CUPPS will have enormous benefits for our industry when it goes mainstream."

- Bill Miller, Managing Director IT Services, Continental Airlines

SITA's AirportConnect Open:

  • Can run legacy CUTE and newer CUPPS applications simultaneously
  • Utilizes all industry standard equipment and peripherals, including ATB1 and ATB2 boarding pass printers, bag tag printers, boarding gate readers, passport readers and general purpose document printers
  • Is flexible, secure and stable - each airline operates within its own VLAN, using the application software of its choice, connected to its host via a dedicated router or gateway
  • Utilizes commercial off-the-shelf printers for Windows documents