From robot assistants to augmented reality, Marisa Cannon rounds up the latest advances helping to smooth your journey through the airport.
In the early days of commercial aviation, airports were small, modest facilities, made up of little more than an airfield and a solitary terminal. As airlines multiplied and passenger numbers soared, airports have been driven to meet new levels of customer service, streamlining the way passengers are processed and exploring new ways of entertaining them while they wait. Here is a round-up of new technological and recreational developments at airports around the world.
BIOMETRIC SCREENING
Passengers can be asked to show their documents up to five times when travelling through an airport. In the past few years, airports have begun introducing biometric devices at checkpoints, speeding up the screening process by verifying a person’s identity with a face or fingerprint scan.
In March, BA launched a facial recognition system that captures a passenger’s features and allows them to board the plane without showing any documents. Currently available for some domestic flights departing Heathrow T5, the system will eventually be added to international routes. Amsterdam Schiphol and Dutch carrier KLM launched a similar trial earlier this year.
In the US, a fingerprint or iris scan will soon replace boarding passes at 22 major airports, with biometric lanes launched this year at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, Los Angeles International, Minneapolis St Paul, New York JFK and La Guardia.
More ambitious still is Australia’s “Seamless Traveller” initiative, which aims to automate 90 per cent of screening processes at the country’s international airports with no human interaction by 2020.
BEACON TECHNOLOGY
This story is from the July 2017 edition of Business Traveller Middle East.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 2017 edition of Business Traveller Middle East.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Onwards and upwards
In an exclusive interview with Ian Fairservice for Business Traveller, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and CEO and Founder of the Emirates Group, provides insight into the current and future state of travel and Emirates’ pivotal role in getting the industry back on track
The Great Vegas Meetings Magic Act
The city is working hard to conjure up events and make millions of visitors reappear
KEYS TO THE KINGDOM
New and upcoming hotels to check out when you next visit Saudi Arabia
QATAR CALLING
A swathe of hotels are opening in the Gulf State in the run-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Sofitel Mumbai BKC
BACKGROUND Sofitel Mumbai BKC is one of Accor’s most prominent addresses in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The French hospitality group’s other hotels in the city are operated under the Novotel and ibis brands.
Taking Scotland in Stride
A walk through the Highlands and Borders is the best way to touch this country’s history and nature
Membership Gets You More
In the time of Coronavirus, what subscription travel offers is a sense of being in this together – apart
VACCINE PASSPORTS
A GUIDE TO THE OPTIONS NOW AVAILABLE
WHEN ONLY THE BEST WILL DO
Two Maldivian resorts that are out of this world
Forever Rose Café Dubai
BACKGROUND The Insta-worthy Forever Rose Café, which opened in Dubai’s Box Park in November, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s the brainchild of Alsamadi Group CEO Ebrheem Al Samadi, who wanted to create a restaurant with an all-black-and-white color scheme, providing a backdrop that would bring out the colors of the food. The café, an extension to the Forever Rose brand (luxury long-lasting forever roses) and the second Forever Rose Café in the UAE (there’s one in Abu Dhabi), can seat up to 100 people overlooking the outdoor garden and is available for events.