I remember landing in the Atlanta airport late one night, only to find out that the connector train was not working. I was as far away from where I needed to be as possible, and I remember thinking that I have never walked so far without going outdoors in my life. It seems that a new wave of airports are even bigger.
The new airport in Istanbul is now the largest one in the world, at least until Beijing opens theirs next year. Besides being massive structures, these airports are using cutting edge technology, often driven by IoT, to improve the level of service for passengers.
Biometrics are heavily used
One of the concerns about such a large scale building is that you need to keep people moving to allow them to get to their plane on time. Technologies like facial recognition and fingerprint scanning are not new, but they are being used in new ways to automate much of the experience at the airport. This improves flow, lowers down the chances of lost luggage and offers a better level of service.
Advanced weather systems keep planes moving and employees safe
Both the Istanbul and the upcoming Beijing airport one use advanced weather sensors to provide much better information for Operations teams. This includes being able to better schedule landings/take-off to minimize delays and to increase the safety of their workers in the field from possible issues with lightning.
Security is still paramount
None of us like waiting in long security lines, but most of us appreciate the task of keeping such an operation safe. Advanced scanning devices are used to look for things that should not fly, such as weapons and explosives, without having to run everyone through a scanner. These devices are placed strategically around the airport to keep prohibited items from flying.
As the announcement from many flight attendants tell you, passengers often have a choice of airlines, and in some cases, what airport they may connect through. Airports need to compete for the high-volume passengers. This is why similar projects are planned for airports in New York City, Los Angeles and Amsterdam.
Hats off to anything that can improve the whole travel experience!
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