Anyone who travels regularly by air may have noticed that passengers who need mobility assistance, such as a wheelchair, don’t always get it in a timely fashion. This can be upsetting and frustrating for the passenger while it also reflects badly on the airline involved. It’s a problem both Conor Halpin and Gareth Daniel were familiar with from their backgrounds in airport operations and in 2022 they pooled their experience to set up PRM Assist (passenger reduced mobility), a technology-focused company that’s aiming to revolutionise how airports and airlines manage passengers with special mobility needs.
“Travelling through an airport can be stressful at the best of times and even more so for someone with reduced mobility,” Halpin says. “The problem we’ve addressed is the inefficiency and lack of co-ordination in current PRM management systems which unfortunately often results in delays and poor quality service for passengers.
“Our suite of products – a PRM Portal, PRM Connect and our PRM Assist App – provide solutions for better communication, forecasting and operational planning in the aviation sector while also enhancing efficiency in resource allocation, improving service delivery and reducing waiting times for PRM passengers.”
Roughly 2 per cent of airline passengers globally require assistance and this figure is rising steadily as more people have begun to realise that such assistance is available and free. Dublin Airport alone provides mobility assistance to about 1,500 passengers per day.
Before setting up PRM Assist, Halpin, who has a master’s degree in business management, was involved in a number of initiatives aimed at enhancing the passenger experience and improving operational workflows. “From observing the gaps and inefficiencies in handling PRM services, particularly the manual and outdated systems still in use, we could see a significant opportunity for technological innovation,” he says.
“The lack of real-time data and poor communication channels between airlines, airports and passengers prompted us to think about developing a more streamlined, tech-driven approach. Initially we started with the passenger app, which makes it easy for passengers to book the assistance they need. But while the app was really good for passengers as it opened up a direct communications channel and also allowed them to avail of a chat feature and provide a review of the service they received, it was never going to make us money,” Halpin says. “That’s why we developed the portal and built out our extensive data analytics capabilities. Airlines need good data in order to plan effectively for assistance needs. Our system does this by drilling right down into the detail.”
PRM Assist is based near Dublin Airport where it employs 10 people. Its primary customers are airports, airlines and ground-handling service providers responsible for managing PRM.
Halpin says PRM Assist has the edge over the competition because it has taken an integrated approach to managing assistance services. “Our main competition comes from traditional ground handling software providers and the manual processes that airports and airlines currently use. However, unlike traditional systems that operate in silos, our platform facilitates seamless real-time communication between all stakeholders,” he says.
“Our products are designed to be user-friendly and customisable and to cater to the specific needs of different airports and airlines while our unique combination of forecasting tools, direct communication with airlines and the passenger-focused app makes our solution highly valuable by reducing operational costs and improving service quality.”
SaaS is the company’s main revenue stream and PRM Assist is operational in 10 airports in Ireland and the UK, with sales just beginning in the Middle East. The company’s start-up costs were in the region of €250,000 with assistance from Fingal local enterprise office and pre-seed start-up funding from Enterprise Ireland. This covered the initial R&D, setting up the technology infrastructure and pilot testing. PRM Assist is looking to raise €400,000 to expand its operations and enter new markets.
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