Luc Desmarais Email and Phone Number

Redefining the Customer/User Experience across a variety of Solutions, where Self-Serve & Multi-Channel interactions are the key drivers. My objective is to challenge "regular practices" to leverage, design & implement business-value propositions across multiple stakeholders. Much of this requires engagements with multiple Internal Departments, other Service Entities and Providers, Processes, Local Interactions or Multi-Channel Deliveries supported by Innovative Technologies to enable choices; while keeping prime focus on the End-User Experience.

Program Delivery for Services & Implementations across multiple sites. - YHZ Terminal Expansion: ENGIE (Cofely) was responsible to design & integrate technology solutions relevant to improving all aspects of the Baggage Handling Solutions at Halifax Airport; via new technologies and multiple providers to satisfy a matrix collaboration model across all stakeholders. The Value Chain included integrated solutions to meet the individual needs for: Halifax Airport, Local Airlines, CATSA (Canadian Air Transport Security Agency), Screening & CTX Providers, New Security Models, US Border Services, BIWIS, Self Bag-Drop and Baggage Handling & Sortation Systems.- NCE Airport : Self Bag Drop CUSS Design-Integration-Implementation: ENGIE was required to provide a CUSS-certified Self-Bag Drop Solution for the local Airport Authority. The solution included a redesign of the initial product for improved functionalities and ease-of-use. The primary criteria was to reuse pre-existing counter facilities "as is" to avoid a major facilities overhaul investment and retain traditional check-in facilities unchanged. The solution had to be flexible enough to accommodate a 2-Steps or 1-Step Self-BagDrop process into a CUSS Platform Environment and integrate with existing counters and bagage conveyors systems. The final solution was implemented with full compliance to all goals. - YQB Airport : Full Airport Common Use Replacement Project. My role is to oversee the Program Delivery for a set of turn-key solutions; ranging from: CUSS, CUPPS, Baggage Solutions and Local Support Services.

CATSA had awarded the Airport Security Checkpoint Services to Securitas, for the Eastern Canada Region. Securitas needed to have Mobile Tools to more effectively manage their on-site resources across the various Security Halls and Locations throughput the Airport facilities. Staff planning was originally based on “projected peaks”, which were often not the day-to-day reality, as events unfolded during operations. The solution was designed to provide oversight for all resources, their current distribution and real-time availability across all zones. It also included some timely & flexible recovery capabilities to re-allocate resources where most needed in “real-time”, based on dynamic events. Preemptive alerts for increasing “Wait Times” and Dashboard views.The solution was built into an iPad Application distributed to ALL sites in Eastern Canada and also available via a Web Service.

The primary role was to complete full enablement & delivery of the Multi-Channel Enhanced Passenger Experience across all aspects of the business functions, stakeholders and Industry Standards & Practices. AC was heavily invested into Common Use Technologies for most of its sites in Canada and around the globe. These different environments were lacking some necessary capabilities to support the new business model and needed to evolve. Continued direct involvement into all IATA - StB Initiatives & Committees was required to promote global adoption of standards and necessary technology capabilities. AC became a very active participant in all forums to promote and foster the adoption of changes to deliver the expected business-values. Achievements:- IATA Resolution 792 : BCBP (2D Barcode) as a business integration token to facilitate multi-channel/multi-service business processes. Solutions encompassing WEB, Mobiles, Kiosks, Bag Drops and Agent Desks.- Self-Tagging now made possible at Kiosks (and CUSS) with new business processes and compliance to mandatory International Security Standards.- Adoption of a Security Key to satisfy Government Regulatory Security Bodies.- Promoted & secured an Industry consensus for new CUSS Specifications to allow Airlines to centrally manage global & timely Application Updates (A.R.U. specs in CUSS) across platforms.- Quick BagDrop processes, with higher efficiences and reduced costs.Very active & continued participation across “IATA Simplify The Business” initiatives:- “CUSS & CUPPS” Technical Committees- “Bags-Ready-To-Go” Committees and sub-entities.- “Fast Travel” workgroups and subgroups.- Co-Chairman of the “IATA PCI Business Steering Committee for Common Use Solutions”.- Chairman of the “IATA PCI TSG” as a Technical Solutions Group to define a compliancy roadmap for CUSS and CUPPS. - “Self Bag Drop” initiatives.

LIPSO (before acquisition by Transcontinental) had been the initial entity that was delivering 2D Barcodes (BCBP) to Mobile Devices for the AC Electronic Boarding Passes. LIPSO wanted to expand their initial product offering into more global Mobile Solutions. The portfolio grew into a collection of Mobile Service Offerings conveniently delivered to people-on-go. This included services for the Air Transport, Airport Security Wait-Times, Bus Transportation, Parking Services, VIP Automated Validations and Entrance Access. LIPSO was acquired by the Media Division of TransContinetal Inc. in 2010.

This was the original foray into significant and drastic changes to the Airline’s “legacy business model”: Shifting from Agent-Based interaction into a Full Self-Service business model. There was a need to rethink and redefine the entire passenger experience to design self-serve solutions available across multiple interaction channels: Web, Mobiles, Kiosks or Counters. This paved the way into uncharted territories and forced a complete review of all legacy practices into ”bleeding-edge” business & technology innovations. The business concept received wide acceptance and gained a lot of attention and support from the global industry stakeholders value-chain: AC, Star Alliance, IATA Steering Committees, Other Airlines, Airport Authorities, CUSS, CUPPS, Service Providers and multiple Government Security Agencies. This led to the creation and active participation across the full range of the “IATA Strategic Initiatives - Simplify The Business”. This new IATA Forum was formed to manage required changes as an “Industry Program”.

I was leading the Airport Business Solution Technologies for AC airports (worldwide). The portfolio included all airport functions & systems, from Passenger & Baggage Handling, Station Operations Control, Resource Management, Kiosks, FIDS, BIDS, RIDS, etc…AC was moving towards more GUI-Based airport tools; and evolving Self-Serve Kiosks for key sites. These initiatives were under a large set of concurrent development & deployment activities, labelled as “Airport Automation Program”, which went-on for a few years.In 1999, AC also made the acquisition of Canadian Airlines (CP). This gave rise to a “CP Integration program” to adapt, merge or transition all of the CP & AC Systems into global solutions for both carriers. I was responsible to define the roadmap for the Airport Solutions. CP was using Sabre Hosted Solutions and AC had its own proprietary solutions and Host System. The primary goals were:• Co-locate individual airport facilities to optimize space consolidation and leverage coordinated flight schedules.• Resolve immediate challenges from having 2 separate Host Systems, with passengers unknowingly needing to be processed separately, depending on where the initial bookings were made. • Migrate CP & AC into a final set of Airport Solution.I proposed an innovative concept to resolve the immediate handling problems of two distinct Host Systems. The idea would allow the passenger to be processed at AC or CP desks at Airports; regardless of which Host was used at Booking Time. The solution presented significant advantages and received executive support. I was charged with leading the technical discussions and design for this solution, which required joint AC-CP-IBM & Sabre efforts. The “Host-to-Host Cross-Over Solution” was developed and implemented, across all primary airports. This provided significant relief to the much longer-term solution of the full Hosts Integration into one single Host System.

1996 to 1997: AC – Director of Global Operations for YUL & YMX Airports1995 to 1996: AC – Airport Manager at YMX International Airport Hub 1993 to 1995: AC – Manager Passenger Services at YUL. 1990 to 1993: AC – Manager Aircraft & Baggage Services at YUL. 1987 to 1990: AC – Airport Manager at YQB.1980 to 1987: AC Airport Agent to AC Sales Representative