RESEARCH / 2026

Applying our Airport Passenger Experience Framework on Oradea International Airport

SUMMARY

Oradea International Airport (OMR) is the fastest-growing regional airport in Romania in 2025, handling a record of 250.000 passengers. Our research suggests the airport's next growth phase depends as much on brand and experience strategy as on infrastructure investment. This project is self-initiated and developed during a hackathon held inside Oradea's airport.

Our four-phase Airport Passenger Experience Framework is designed to help any regional airport to identify, prioritize, and address major pain points across the experience of passengers, team members, and collaborators. Our methodology is designed to approach passenger experience as a structured design process to understand what's the real operational or service problem.

During the workshop conversations, we concluded that airport staff is the most powerful influencer of the passenger experience, but the fragmentation among the institutions operating within an airport (security, ground services, airlines, retail, customs) makes it difficult to build a coherent culture. We proposed that a branding strategy creates cohesion across both staff and passenger touchpoints and a shared visual and behavioral language that operates across institutions.

TEAM

Design: George Mihai

Research: Alexandra Mihai

Research: Timea Izsak

Development: Zu Jah

VIEW RESEARCH

WRITE AT GEORGE@POIESISLAB.COM TO GET ACCESS

OUR RESEARCH QUESTION

How might we reduce passenger stress at small Romanian airports, so they can have a better experience interacting with people and the space?

The initial question proposed by the airport team — "How can we measure passenger stress or satisfaction at different points in the journey?" was unfocused.

Our qualitative research showed that Oradea's airport passangers experience is negatively influenced by the interaction with airport staff and the design of the space.

The conclusions of 1-to-1 interviews have been backed up by our desk research, which has shown that the stress of passengers is highly correlated with the experience they have with airport staff and airport design. Additionally, in small airports, the best indicator of a good passenger experience is the quality of interaction with airport staff.

QUOTES

— "The very first time we entered the competition room, we felt something was going on with your team."
— "It's really amazing how deeply you've gone with the research."
— "Let's keep in touch to continue the project after the competition ends."

PHASE I

Desk research

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ANALYZING OUR FINDINGS

Our approach took into consideration the latest frameworks for improving the airport experience from ACI, papers in the aviation industry written by Mahmut Bakir, or Vanja Bogicevic.

Architecture and space books, such as Non-Places: An Introduction to Supermodernity or The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, were a good source of knowledge. We also look into resources about hospitality and customer care.

PHASE II

Passengers research

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ALEXANDRA INTERVIEWING PASSENGERS

We interviewed passengers between 25 and 40, who traveled through Oradea's Airport in the last two years, after the new terminal was opened on May 18, 2024.

Passengers' experience in airports is linked to the stress level they feel. Our research was focused on understanding how people perceive stress, how they calm themselves, their experience in airports in general, and at Oradea's airport.

PHASE III

Passenger emotional map

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To correctly map the traveler's stress level, we split his journey into three main stages: pre-flight, in the airport, and the departing experience. Each phase includes many substeps, each with an individual stress level, pain points, bad feedback, good feedback, and ways to improve the experience.

KEY FINDINGS

— 40% participants had difficulty entering the parking
— 50% had felt disappointment while arriving at the airport
— 40% didn’t find someone to ask a question
— 50% didn’t found info desk, and they felt confused
— 10% didn’t find anyone at check-in
— 40% couldn’t find healthy food
— 50% mentioned that shopping options are usually closed
— 40% mentioned “limited places in the waiting area"
— 30% couldn’t find a working area

PHASE IV

Prioritization workshop

During the hackathon, we organized a prioritization workshop with four experts in the local aviation industry. Each of them had to write down eight problems that can lower the passenger stress and improve their experience. All of them said the same thing: airport staff influences how people feel inside the airport.

HOW MIGHT WE LOWER THE STRESS IN AIRPORTS?

— Better collaboration between institutions
— Improving airport staff mentality
— Train the airport staff
— Create a cohesive experience throughout the airport

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BRINGING THE GAP ON OUR CONCLUSIONS

The main problem is that in the airport, there are people from different institutions who have different cultures. This is the main pain point, because the training of people is not in control of the airport. To unify the experience on all points of interaction with the airport, each airport must develop its own culture. Shared values, principles, and mission would align each individual who works within the airport.

We concluded that the Oradea International Airport needs a new branding strategy that would align all personnel. Additionally, during the process, we developed our Airport Passenger Experience Framework, which can be applied in any regional airport to discover and find solutions to any issues about passenger experience, staff members, or airport service.

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SPACE, DESIGN AND PEOPLE CREATES THE AIRPORT CULTURE

Airport passenger experience lives right in the heart of people, space, and design. All three can be aligned through a culture that is built through branding.

FROM THE PROCESS