Show Me!

Staff
January-February
2021

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has created a plethora of commercial options to help airport operators and passengers cope with the new realities of air travel. Frankly, some will prove useful, and others will never fly (pun intended).

At Airport Improvement, we’ve always made it a point to steer clear of unproven theories, products, services and applications that might work at your airport. We prefer to cover solutions that are already working, told in the words of your fellow airport directors and their teams, consultants and suppliers. We won’t waste your time with theoretical ideas that may, or may not, make the cut.

Open any issue of this magazine, however, and you’ll definitely find something innovative. And this issue is particularly loaded with innovation.

Check out our cover story about Brownsville South Padre Island International. Its new terminal includes a huge wall of SageGlass, with special glazing that automatically adapts to control the temperature and glare in the entry hall. Airport officials are also laying the groundwork to add cutting-edge biometrics in the future.

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International is a veritable treasure trove of innovations. The team there has even found a new way to sell water—vending machines that dispense flavored and/or caffeinated water in recyclable cardboard bottles! Our coverage also brings you details about the airport’s autonomous commercial floor scrubber, its 12-week trial of a personal robot and more.

Other articles in this issue provide an inside look at a virtual ramp control system, new uses for existing sealcoat products and a clever way to recycle airfield runoff.

Common criticisms about our industry being overly risk-averse clearly don’t apply to the airports we’ve profiled. The amount of innovation taking place is stunning, and I’m excited to see what the rest of 2021 will bring!

Cheers,

FREE Whitepaper

Fairbanks International Airport Baggage Transport Conveyor Enhanced With Mod Drive™ System


Fairbanks International Airport Baggage Transport Conveyor Enhanced With Mod Drive™ System

Airports face a host of unique industry challenges, such as meeting efficiency regulations and seeking out the best maintenance practices to reduce costs and keep operations flowing. In today’s current economic climate, any potential cost savings can go a long way. 

In 2019, Alaska’s Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) sought to modernize its equipment and operations. They were dissatisfied with the performance of the gearmotors on their baggage transport conveyors and began searching for new suppliers. Regal approached FAI with a solution that could improve equipment performance and simplify maintenance, with the added benefit of energy cost savings: the Hub City® MOD Drive™ system.

This white paper discusses the hardware deployed, the test results and the annualized expectations for ROI.

 




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