airport kiosks
"The number of passengers using
automated immigration gates and
kiosks increased by 6% in 2017
compared with the previous year"
experience created by that congestion.
In an effort to get a handle on the
situation, airports are taking the lessons
learned from the use of kiosks in the
boarding process and applying them to
other areas of their operation.
Philadelphia International Airport,
for example, recently wrapped up a
$30 million renovation of the facility’s
Terminal B that saw the addition of
several new restaurants and hundreds of
iPad kiosks at seats in the terminal where
flyers can look up flight information,
browse the Internet and order food and
drinks that can be delivered to them in
their seats.
22 KIOSK solutions
The renovation was funded by New
York-based OTG Management, which
has deployed similar technology in 10
airports around the United States. OTG
founder Rick Blatstein told the Philadel-
phia Inquirer that revenue per passenger
at airports with such technology is 50%
higher than the average for the top 50
airports in North America. And even the
most mundane passenger needs are
being met with kiosks.
Reducing the customs slow down
One of the worst aspects of travelling
these days is waiting in long lines to
pass through security screening. The
issue can be particularly aggravating for
international travellers.
According to the U.S. Customs and
Border Patrol Airport Wait Times website,
the time it takes travellers to pass
through customs at Newark’s Liberty
International Airport was as long as 160
minutes in early November, while at
New York’s John F Kennedy International
Airport the time was as long as 177
minutes. Credit card tracking website
www.miles.com cited those airports as
being among the 10 worst in the country
for customs wait times. To help alleviate
those issues, airports around the country
have introduced kiosk-based passport
screening systems that are dramatically
speeding up customs processing times.
Today, passport kiosks have become
a regular feature of airports around
the country, and they’re being well
received by travellers. The International
Air Transport Association found that
the number of passengers using
automated immigration gates and kiosks
increased by 6% in 2017 compared with
the previous year, reaching 58% of all
passengers, with a satisfaction rate of
90%. According to the Sydney, Australia-
based Centre of Aviation, those figures
indicate that it’s not fancy terminals,
endless shoppin g options, gymnasiums
or tropical gardens that dominate most
travellers’ needs, wants and demands. n