Articles tagged “airports”

Many border security agencies aren't ready to cope with a return to pre-pandemic levels of travel if they have to track additional pieces of information like traveler health. Blame the holdup on a debate about tactics and tech, not just budgetary shortfalls.

Enhancing the traveler journey with the right combination of contactless digital experiences, socially distanced service touchpoints, and personalized information and offers can help return us to a time when the travel journey is just as enjoyable as the destination.

Despite warnings from the CDC, Americans are traveling by air to see their loved ones and vacation. That's a good thing for the airlines. But the weeks ahead will be telling as to what the costs will be to the American people.

You can debate about in-flight studies on the risk of spreading infection. But American Airlines at least has the hard evidence that its guest-facing workers have a reported lower infection rate than the company as a whole or than the urban areas where they tend to work. That bodes well for a business travel rebound.

From government bailouts to layoffs, commercial airlines have taken drastic measures to stay afloat since Covid-19. Not Ethiopian – now operating out of the second largest capacity airport in Africa, while turning a profit and forging ahead with further expansion plans beyond its new state-of-art, bio-safety terminal.

New tech launched today in Seychelles spotlights the issues many border agencies will face when collecting coronavirus-related health data from travelers.

Even if Congress coughs up another $10 billion in aid to airports, the future looks murky. With airlines planning to contract, it's likely that some smaller airports could lose air service altogether.

The airport sector needs to invest in contactless tech and automation through the challenges. A recent product contest with vendors and a new accreditation program may help airports make progress.

Vendors are getting creative with pandemic-related services, like the following: Passport control via facial recognition. Contactless elevators. Food-ordering without needing an app. Luggage disinfection via ultraviolet light. Mask-detecting robots.

Mind the gap.