Tap OK for takeoff

The connected airport of the future

The day before a flight, a passenger’s watch taps her on the wrist to remind her to check in, and also offers her a discount on her favourite whisky in duty free. On the way to the airport, her self-driving car receives information that the south bag drop and security checkpoint has a lower wait time, and she taps OK to direct the car to drop her off at the closest point to that end of the terminal. Her favourite seat opens up, and she swaps it with a single phrase to her phone’s artificial intelligent assistant thanks to a notification from the airline app. Her airline’s system tracks her as she walks through the terminal door, and the kiosk welcomes her by name as she puts her phone and near-field-enabled passport down on the tray. Her electronically tagged bag disappears and she heads towards security as intelligent, live-changing signs adjust the flow of passengers to take account of queue and processing variations, keeping the airport moving more smoothly for everyone.

This sounds like the airport of the future, but it’s also the airport of now. Australians and New Zealanders have had a glimpse of this future with self-bag tagging, thanks to early adopters Air New Zealand and Qantas. Worldwide, airline apps are increasing in functionality all the time. Electronic departures, arrivals and security information is growing more common.

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