marchapril2021 - 24

COVER STORY
commercial facilities due to the
continual turnover of people inside
the terminal.
There's ways to use data in the
building management system to
maintain the building better. The
system at PIT looks at the mechanical
systems and the automation system.
When the algorithm sees something out
of parameter, it signifies a work order
needs to issued.
" If a valve got stuck open or closed,
that would create an environment where
a hot or cold call would be placed at
an airport to go do, " Isherwood. " This
system would pick that up before the
problem occurred. It would see the
stuck or open valve, you'd dispatch a
maintenance person and they'd go take
care of it. "
Isherwood said Honeywell is
also testing filtration technology like
ionization as part of the pilot, which
the airport viewed as the best way to
address virus concerns.
PIT plans to use Honeywell Forge to
conduct condition-based maintenance
focused on MERV 13 filters in its
air-handling units. By monitoring

value they want, so they should consider
a holistic approach.
Isherwood said airports should
make sure their partners communicate
with them throughout the project.
The system needs to handle ASHRAE
standards and they need to consider how
they plan to filter the building.
" ACI has a lot of information out
there about airport health accreditation
and to me, this is a journey, " Isherwood
said. " Air quality is one element. Social
distancing is another element. Deep
cleaning is another element. All of that
combined makes us feel better about
going on an airport, getting on a plane,
landing at another airport, getting in a
car and going on vacation. "
The pandemic is impacting all
aspect of travel to and through the
airport. Social distancing and touchless
technology options are transforming the
passenger experience in the terminal and
these technologies are here to stay well
after COVID-19 becomes a memory.
" From what we can tell and from the
interviews with airport executives, the
low touch experience is here to stay, "
Katya Bulatova, engagement manager,

TECHNOLOGY WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE
IN THE RECOVERY OF THE AVIATION
SECTOR TO POWER THE CONTACTLESS
PASSENGER EXPERIENCE.
particulate matter and volatile organic
compounds using a dashboard, airport
personnel can identify f ilters that
require changing based on need versus
a maintenance schedule.
" They're also looking at LoRaWAN
sensor that goes beyond what we
discussed, " Isherwood said. " They want
to look into sound to measure sound in
a particular area as well. "
Hottenfeller said the airport is
currently testing ionization to enhance
air quality.
" The science keeps leading us back
to ionization, " he said. " It hits all the
bullet points. It kills living pathogens, the
lifecycle costs are low, it's ozone friendly
and it communicates with our system. "
Dorsett said airports need easily
operable systems that can provide the

Alton Aviation Consulting said. " It was
already being implemented before the
pandemic at many airports and there was
already a business care for it. "
According to SITA's 2020 Air
Transport IT Insights, airlines are
prioritizing a completely touchless
check-in process to improve passenger
experience and protect travelers.
Seventy percent of airlines plan to offer
automatic check-in by 2023. About
91 percent of airlines are planning to
provide unassisted bag drop within the
next two years.
The report states airlines plan to
double investment for self-boarding
biometric and ID documentation.
Almost 60 percent of airlines are focused
on investing on biometric self-boarding
gates. Airline IT investment will grow

24 \ AIRPORTBUSINESS / MARCH/APRIL 2021

by 2023 to adjust for the new normal of
travel in a post-pandemic world.
SITA's report states the majority
of airports plan to have self-boarding
gates and automated border controls
installed by 2023. Airport leaders plan to
accelerate digital airport processes, such as
increasing services via mobile apps while
also investing in data exchanges, cloud
services and business intelligence services.
Bulatova said there's a broad
spectrum of measures already being
implemented in North American
airports. Los Angeles International
Airport (LAX) is implementing a full
technology roadmap by implementing
touchless kiosk and camera technology;
John F. Kennedy International Airport
( JFK) has rapid testing available and
smart cameras to measure if there are
too many people in one particular area.
Dallas Fort Worth International
Airport (DFW) put housekeeping crews
in bright colored vests so they stand out
to the public.
" I think airports definitely need
to work together with the airlines as
everyone needs to play their roles in
convincing the public that traveling is
safe, " Bulatova said. " A lot of people
are scared of going to the airport and
touching surfaces, so airports need to
do their part in making sure it's safe for
travelers inside the airport and airlines
need to ensure it's a safe environment
they're providing during the flight. "
Touchless technology is available
across all steps of the airport journey.
Bulatova said there's a big push in
self-bag drop implementation and
making sure travelers can check in
without having to touch a screen at a
kiosk. Technology is already available
to reduce touch at security queues and
lessen crowding.
" Biometrics is probably the largest
area where there's a lot of potential to
make an impact, " she said.

A New Normal in Wayfinding Technology
Wayfinding and information boards will
continue to evolve as airports find new
ways to use digital signage technology
in a post-pandemic world.
Rob Meiner, technical sales engineer
for Peerless-AV, said the pandemic
has brought to light the need for
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