Last spring, David Prince was enjoying a Sunday afternoon barbecue with his family when he received a troubling phone call from work. Employees at Louisville Regional Airport Authority were suddenly unable to open shared files.
Vili Antic, technical analyst at Vancouver International (YVR), sleeps well at night knowing that a cutting-edge public safety and communications system is in place at the British Columbia airport. The system helps coordinate emergency response from ambulance service, firefighters and police officers, and it receives ongoing updates to add coverage and capacity.
When Richmond International Airport (RIC) built its new terminal in 2007, the original budget included funds for an array of state-of-the-art digital displays in the passenger check-in area. However, escalating construction costs and subsequent value engineering resulted in a much different outcome.
In November 2017, local residents voted in favor of building a new terminal at Kansas City International Airport (MCI), with a resounding 75% saying yes to the project. The terminal is scheduled to open at the end of 2023 on the site of the now-closed Terminal A.
As the gateway to Silicon Valley, it's natural for Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) to leverage technology, researched and developed by local tech companies, to solve everyday passenger processing challenges. Of late, the California airport is using biometric facial recognition technology to screen international passengers and is leading the way for other U.S. airports to follow.
Mark Duebner, director of Aviation for Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL), worked for the city of Dallas in various capacities before joining the airport team. (He was even the top civilian commander for the Dallas police.) As he amassed experience in various posts, Duebner developed a strong affinity for cultivating purposefully open and constructive relationships with vendors.
Have you met Annie the Astronaut' Can you spot Fred the Fish' Annie and Fred are just a couple of the creations that Orlando International Airport (MCO) presents to visitors on a digital ecosystem that so far includes 1,231 high-definition displays.
Operations and maintenance crews at Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI) are no strangers to winter weather. With more than 600 flights on any given day and annual passenger volumes exceeding 25 million, the airport takes an 'all-hands-on-deck approach' to snowy and icy precipitation.
Whether travelers visit Honolulu for business or the spectacular sun, sand and surf, most bring along multiple electronic devices to keep in touch with friends and associates.
These days, the internet is the first place many passengers check when looking for information about parking, concessions and other ground-based details regarding air travel. Good or bad, an airport's website acts as its face and leaves an impression on customers.
Blockchain is the buzzword in information technology today, and airports such as Miami International (MIA) are paying attention. 'It's our charter as IT executives to look at technology and see how we can insert it into our ecosystem to improve processes,' says Maurice Jenkins, information systems and technology director at MIA. 'Some work, some don't. You never can tell until you see how well you can actually apply it.'
Patrolling the perimeter fence at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) is a difficult task, thanks to about 400 acres of swampland'and the alligators, snakes and other wildlife that live there. But it's an easy job for a camera-equipped drone. That's why the Georgia facility is striving to become one of the first commercial airports in the United States to integrate drone flights into some of its routine safety and security operations.
