Automation in Airports: Revolutionizing the Passenger Experience

Automation in the airport industry has great potential for improving safety, increasing efficiency in the boarding process, and improving passenger experiences. Weather and other factors can affect timing and delays, but automation delivers greater operational flexibility, allowing for real-time adaptation to changing conditions.

In addition, self-serve kiosks, automated baggage handling, and better systems for security are changing how airports are set up and how they function.

Self-Serve Kiosks

No matter the size of the departure airport, people allow a generous amount of time to get through the security process — somewhere between one to three hours. It is an unpredictable process for many, but automation seeks to change that. Self-serve kiosks have begun to change the pre-check-in process already. Minimizing the time passengers spend waiting in lines decreases frustration and increases passenger satisfaction.

Passengers may then spend more time on other activities, which also contributes to a positive overall experience:

• Shopping (for duty free items as well as general souvenirs)

• Purchasing food and beverages

• Working

• Relaxing

Other steps in the boarding process are also using automation, such as customs and immigration, duty-free purchasing, and the security screening itself. By automating much of the screening process, average screening time can be cut by up to 50%, which makes people more likely to travel by plane.

Furthermore, faster check-in speeds also increase potential throughput: airports could see more flights arrive and depart per day with these faster check-in speeds.

Automated Baggage Systems

Automated baggage systems are capable of reducing delays and as well as the risk of luggage failing to arrive on time, at the same time as the owners, and at the proper terminating airport.

Automation could actually eliminate the need for fixed conveyor systems entirely in the near future. A sensor-laden intelligent luggage cart can maneuver around via sensor technologies in any direction, avoiding collisions and ensuring passenger safety while also reducing electricity use by up to 70% compared to more traditional conveyor systems.

One such technology uses magnetic tape to create paths that carts can identify and follow throughout the airport complex. For example, this system can be used to quickly divert a bag that has been flagged for further inspection so it can be processed in a timely manner. Once the bag has been inspected, it can be sent to rejoin the rest of the baggage and loaded onto the flight.

Automated Security Systems

A major goal in the use of automation in security systems is to improve TSA (Transportation Security Administration) wait times and accuracy. Newer, more advanced X-ray systems let passengers pass their bags through without having to remove laptops and containers of liquids. They also add greater capacity: up to five people can have their bags checked at a time, which makes the line move along more quickly. Compare that to the current system, where humans must visually check every bag one at a time.

AI and automation are also playing a greater role in biometric identification: today, a system is in the testing process that takes a live photo and digitally compares it to the passenger’s documentation quickly and efficiently. This process should begin to be implemented more widely in 2024 by the TSA.

Other Future Applications

Robots in airports are bringing travelers food and goods to their gates, ensuring they (perhaps especially families) are not as rushed. You might even see such a robot on a future airport visit; some models are already in service in some locations.

On the runways, drones and other automated devices equipped with foreign object debris detection, or FOD, can ensure safety by removing both natural items and trash that may find their way into the airplanes’ paths. Even bird control can be better achieved: Robird is a robotic falcon that was invented to deter birds from hanging out in the flight path.

Some of these new automations in airports are incremental steps forward, while others are larger reimaginings of what’s possible. They all work together to create a better customer experience and empower airlines to meet their obligations.