FEATURE

Aviation of the Future: Reinventing the Ever-Evolving Passenger Experience

Amid global lockdowns due to the pandemic, airlines reduced staff and grounded or retired aircraft to decrease the size of their fleets. As air travel today gradually returns to pre-pandemic levels, the industry is focused on the future. Carriers are purchasing new planes, training the next generation of pilots, and investing in airport infrastructure and forward-thinking innovation as eager travelers fill terminals with suitcases in tow.


Today’s flying experience isn’t what it used to be — and for many, that’s a good thing. While most pandemic-related restrictions have been lifted, many air travelers still desire some of the modifications that emerged, such as contactless self-service and the ability to social distance. These themes are now being woven into the decisions airlines and airports are making about where and how they invest their capital.

Airlines and airports are squarely focused on enhancing the passenger experience. Pioneering projects, high-tech innovation and support for emerging technology are yet again changing the way people travel. This is true especially when it comes to new terminal design; streamlined baggage systems; and the expedited ticketing, security and boarding process.

Airport-related projects are receiving a large amount of financial support from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides $25 billion to improve airport-related infrastructure. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes an additional $8 billion to provide economic relief to airports impacted by the pandemic.

“We’re kind of in the golden age of airport terminal improvements right now in cities across the country, which is injecting excitement into the airline industry.”

Kyle Roberts

Aviation Projects Director

While federal funds will help support aviation industry projects, airport owners and airlines are responsible for a majority of the cost of new terminals and terminal expansions.  

“We’re kind of in the golden age of airport terminal improvements right now in cities across the country, which is injecting excitement into the airline industry,” says Kyle Roberts, aviation projects director and civil engineering resource manager at Burns & McDonnell. “Even though the pandemic posed a lot of challenges — both for the industry overall and for individual projects — we are still seeing a flood of new state-of-the-art terminals being built and the launch of terminal expansion projects packed with significant changes to make the flying experience better.”

Such significant changes are being tested or implemented in airports worldwide.

Rethinking Terminal Efficiency

Airline passengers spend just as much time waiting for their flight to take off as they do in flight, and oftentimes more, so it’s no surprise that elements to optimize efficiency and passenger satisfaction are being incorporated into airport terminals.

“Ten or so years ago, people disliked going to the airport, but with new retail and dining options and personalized offerings, travelers now look forward to spending time at the airport,” Roberts says. “It has become somewhat of a destination, and we want to improve that entire experience for the passenger.”

One pandemic-induced trend involves rethinking and restructuring how hold rooms and queuing areas in the terminal and adjoining concourses are designed. The new $4 billion Delta Air Lines Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) features a headhouse — a terminal’s central entry point — that consists of four levels separating arrivals, ticketing, the TSA checkpoint and Delta Sky Club.
Burns & McDonell served as engineer of record on the terminal project, which became operational in 2022.

“Passengers that don’t need to check a bag or see an agent at ticketing can bypass Level 2 and go directly to the TSA check-in point on Level 3,” says Regan Teel, a Burns & McDonnell project manager on the Delta Terminal C project. “We focused on efficient design for passenger flow, which helps travelers navigate through the terminal and get to their gates quicker.”

Delta Terminal C also has higher ceilings and is a much brighter space with colorful artwork and digital signage to help passengers navigate to their gates, provide travelers airport updates, and steer them toward shopping and dining options.

“With new or restructured airport terminals, we are also seeing a focus on passengers’ needs with additional family restrooms, nursing rooms, service animal relief areas and multisensory rooms, all to enhance the traveling experience,” Teel says.          

Attention is also being directed at the airline club experience. Providing travelers with an additional location with more personal space to unwind, airline clubs have seen an increase in popularity. At 35,000 square feet, a new Delta Sky Club at LaGuardia ranks among the carrier’s larger clubs.  

Along with terminal modernization projects, fueling infrastructure updates are happening at airports across the U.S. since the cost and availability of fuel is one of the biggest factors in the economic operations of air travel. Airports are upgrading their fuel infrastructure to store and deliver fuel to aircraft, while also building elements into their infrastructure to better facilitate the future use of alternative fuels for both aircraft and vehicles at the airport more safely and reliably. This includes electrification and the use of sustainable aviation fuels.

Artificial Intelligence in Airports

Passengers want efficiency to quickly get from a vehicle to the gate and onto their aircraft. Their journey begins the moment they step from the sidewalk and walk through the entryway doors.

At some airports, the check-in process has gone high-tech as biometrics and facial recognition using artificial intelligence (AI) technology have eliminated the need for travelers to provide identification and boarding passes. A camera scans the traveler’s face and compares it to information that is in the system for who is booked to travel that day. With no need to stop or touch anything, AI can expedite going through security and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, and other steps up to and including the boarding process. Biometric screening is being used at JFK, Orlando and Atlanta airports, and is being tested elsewhere.  

“It’s really up to the imagination what artificial intelligence can do for the airline industry nowadays.”

Mike DeVault

Senior Project Manager

The visual perception that AI provides is enhancing airport security in other ways. Using a sophisticated system of cameras, AI technology can pick up anomalies and alert to anything unusual, such as an abandoned bag or when a passenger enters an unauthorized zone. AI can also be used to optimize airport and airline processes.

“It’s really up to the imagination what artificial intelligence can do for the airline industry nowadays,” says Mike DeVault, a senior project manager at Burns & McDonnell who focuses on airport security and technology systems. “AI is really just interpreting what’s going on in a specific space and providing actionable intelligence.”

Tracking Bags With New Technology

No one likes to arrive at a destination only to learn their luggage is someplace else. While this can be a major hassle of air travel, the odds of a checked-in baggage becoming lost, delayed or damaged are small. Still, repatriating bags is a significant cost for airlines and can harm their reputation.

One way travelers can reduce their chances of a lost bag is by booking a nonstop flight. That’s because every time a bag is handled, whether it’s by the airline, airport, TSA officer or even the passenger, the chances of a mistake happening increase, such as luggage being placed on the wrong conveyor belt, baggage cart or plane.

“Every touchpoint in the checked baggage journey increases the chances of mishandling, thus resulting in passenger dissatisfaction,” says Nathan Sims, an aviation special systems project manager at Burns & McDonnell who focuses on airport operations, including baggage handling program management.

Fortunately, airports and airlines are testing new technology and techniques and investing in solutions to improve baggage handling efficiency.

Of course, travelers may want more control and decide to track their bags on their own by using a personal tracking device, such an Apple AirTag, which sends a signal to a traveler’s cellphone. “It’s really dependent upon a passenger’s own preference,” Sims says. “A personal tracking device may provide a nervous traveler some peace of mind.”

Innovative Baggage Handling Solutions

Select an image below to learn more

RFID

Delta Air Lines is one carrier embracing baggage-focused advancements. Passengers who have flown the airline recently likely had their bags tracked with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). With RFID, printers embed a chip in each temporary luggage tag. As a bag moves through its journey, scanners use radio waves to capture travelers’ data stored in the RFID chip, replacing the need for scanning barcodes by hand.

The need for passengers to attach a temporary tag to their luggage each time they fly could also soon become obsolete. A baggage innovation working group that includes Air Canada, Southwest Airlines, Toronto Pearson Airport and several vendors launched a focus group on the use of permanent RFID bag tags, a program Australian carrier Quantas introduced in 2021. Quantas’ Q Bag Tag automatically synchronizes with a passenger’s boarding pass information, eliminating the need to attach a temporary tag at ticketing.

The challenge with utilizing a permanent bag tag, however, is that not all baggage handling systems are configured to read those RFID tags; thus, luggage from someone changing planes at another airport might need another paper tag for proper sorting. Currently, the Quantas Q Bag Tag can only be used within the airline’s domestic network.

AI

A much different airport baggage handling approach utilizes AI systems. The BagsID system backed by Star Alliance uses biometric screening technology to take an image of a checked or carry-on bag to match it with its corresponding owner. The image registers the bag’s dimensions, color, scratches and any other unique markers, so no nametag, barcode label or RFID chip is required. BagsID says its technology helps load planes smarter and more efficiently because it can use each bag’s dimensions to forecast checked and carry-on baggage space.

Autonomous

An autonomous baggage system consists of a self-driving cart with a conveyor belt — almost like a luggage robot. In one application, such as the BAGXONE system designed by Alstef Group, Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) collect individual bags and transport each piece to where it needs to go. Another application involves autonomous Mobile Inspection Tables (MITs), which are used inside airport checked baggage reconciliation areas. Alarm bags that require manual inspection by TSA are delivered via MITs to Transportation Screening Officers (TSOs) for screening. Once the bag is screened, it is routed back to the appropriate conveyor belt.

RFID

Delta Air Lines is one carrier embracing baggage-focused advancements. Passengers who have flown the airline recently likely had their bags tracked with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). With RFID, printers embed a chip in each temporary luggage tag. As a bag moves through its journey, scanners use radio waves to capture travelers’ data stored in the RFID chip, replacing the need for scanning barcodes by hand.

The need for passengers to attach a temporary tag to their luggage each time they fly could also soon become obsolete. A baggage innovation working group that includes Air Canada, Southwest Airlines, Toronto Pearson Airport and several vendors launched a focus group on the use of permanent RFID bag tags, a program Australian carrier Quantas introduced in 2021. Quantas’ Q Bag Tag automatically synchronizes with a passenger’s boarding pass information, eliminating the need to attach a temporary tag at ticketing.

The challenge with utilizing a permanent bag tag, however, is that not all baggage handling systems are configured to read those RFID tags; thus, luggage from someone changing planes at another airport might need another paper tag for proper sorting. Currently, the Quantas Q Bag Tag can only be used within the airline’s domestic network.

AI

A much different airport baggage handling approach utilizes AI systems. The BagsID system backed by Star Alliance uses biometric screening technology to take an image of a checked or carry-on bag to match it with its corresponding owner. The image registers the bag’s dimensions, color, scratches and any other unique markers, so no nametag, barcode label or RFID chip is required. BagsID says its technology helps load planes smarter and more efficiently because it can use each bag’s dimensions to forecast checked and carry-on baggage space.

Autonomous

An autonomous baggage system consists of a self-driving cart with a conveyor belt — almost like a luggage robot. In one application, such as the BAGXONE system designed by Alstef Group, Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) collect individual bags and transport each piece to where it needs to go. Another application involves autonomous Mobile Inspection Tables (MITs), which are used inside airport checked baggage reconciliation areas. Alarm bags that require manual inspection by TSA are delivered via MITs to Transportation Screening Officers (TSOs) for screening. Once the bag is screened, it is routed back to the appropriate conveyor belt.

The Future of Flying

Improving the travel experience for passengers is the airline industry’s main focus — as it always has been — but it is now coupled with heightened scrutiny from airports as the industry continues to bounce back from lingering pandemic declines. Whether it’s a business trip, a visit to see family or a long-awaited vacation, travelers are looking for — and quite frankly expect — a more efficient, enjoyable way to get from point A to point B. Key investments in airport infrastructure, innovative systems and emerging technologies will allow the industry to take off.

eVTOL Aircraft

eVTOL

The typical commute that often involves spending hours sitting in traffic could soon change thanks to eVTOL, or an aircraft with an electric vertical take-off and landing that is often referred to as a “taxi of the skies.” A customer could, for example, take an eVTOL aircraft from their home in the suburbs to a helipad downtown, thus avoiding roadway traffic. A traveler may also one day take an eVTOL aircraft to the airport, which would alleviate traffic congestion outside the terminal. Several companies, including Boeing, are developing eVTOL aircraft.

Thought Leaders

Mike DeVault, CPP

Senior Project Manager

Jerry Dunn, PE

Project Manager

Kyle Roberts, PE, PMP

Aviation Projects Director

Nathan Sims

Aviation Special Systems Project Manager

Regan Teel, PE

Project Manager