Collaboration in the airport business through the development of an IT platform

The aim of the paper is to investigate the main changes and the perception of the importance of collaboration within the airport industry. More specifically through a 'star scheme', relationships between airports, local and national stakeholders are analysed and a Travel Information-based Exchange (TIE) platform that manages cooperation among several stakeholders and customers is presented. Collaboration in this way can be interpreted as core competence and a resource for creating a common strategy, achieving a competitive advantage and creating value for companies and passengers. The potential for a TIE is examined for a case study in central Italy.