- 10 de March de 2020.
The world of travel is expanding to become accessible for more people. Airports are adding more destinations every year. More airlines are competing with different service levels for travelers. Some of these new service levels offer cheaper airline tickets if you travel only with a carry-on bag.
In addition, technological innovation is also improving. Airports need more people to fly from their location. So, they will look for more ways to offer efficiency and convenience to travelers.
Nina Brooks is the director of Security, Facilitation and IT at Airports Council International, which is the world’s largest airport association. She says that technological innovations are important for the smooth functioning of airports.
According to ACI stats, there were 8.8 billion flights in 2018. In 2040, they forecast that it will be 19.7 billion.
“Airports are locations that involve so many parties, including airport and airline employees, security personnel, national aviation authorities and outside suppliers,” says Brooks. “The adoption of new technologies helps them to operate more efficiently and sustainably.”
Smart Airport
With corporate applications, the Internet of Things, and data analysis, the “smart airport” concept adds digital transformation to everyday processes. Thus, it is possible to offer comfort to passengers, reduce waiting times, increase safety and several other benefits. Below are some real cases.
Miami Airport Implements Facial Recognition for Check-In
Now, passengers departing from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Munich can board with the quick click of a camera instead of a boarding pass and passport. The airport launched its facial recognition technology in late 2019 to make this possible.
“Miami Airport continues to explore innovative ways to simplify and streamline the travel experience for visitors to our community”, said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez.
Through a partnership between Miami Airport, Lufthansa, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and global air transport IT provider, Sita, a simple photograph taken at Lufthansa’s departure gate can confirm passengers’ identity and their travel authorization.
The facial recognition verification process takes less than two seconds with a 99% match rate, according to CBP. Also, the installation reduced processing time by up to 80% for participating airlines.
Learn More: Zoox implements facial recognition in hotels and airports.
CES 2020: Futuristic Screen Will Change Airports
Before the Consumer Electronic Show of 2020, the organizers of the technology fair promised something new: the so-called “trips of the future”. Delta Air Lines was the featured company of this trend.
The most impactful technology is a so-called “parallel reality”. The novelty generates different views on the same screen for people looking at the object.
Delta has partnered with a company called Misapplied Sciences to place screens showing personalized videos for each traveler at airports. To know which person to target for each content piece, Delta will use a camera on the airport ceiling that captures the shape of the person’s body. In other words, no facial recognition at all.
Delta also plans to change aviation in other aspects, such as the passenger calling for a ride to the airport through the company’s app and receiving luggage at the hotel.
Customer Centric and Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence promises to be one of the big trends for the near future.
“As airports get busier, airports, airlines and security organizations will collaborate to increasingly rely on AI to stay secure, efficient and proactive”, says Brooks.
AI robots can already interact with passengers in several languages, answering questions, giving guidance and helping the customer to have a more comfortable trip. For example, if there is a snowstorm, robots will assist in rescheduling the trips in the best way.
In conclusion, artificial intelligence will become increasingly important to airports who want to stay competitive.
Read more about IoT and Artificial Intelligence in our Report of 2020 Trends:
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