Airport operations and facility functionality are being redefined to create consumer confidence based on health and safety. Technology will drive innovation in the passenger processing areas, with a focus on touchless technologies and the use of personal devices. For example, smartphone technology could help pre-map the traveler’s journey, allocating a preset timeslot to pass through security. For the airport, this means access to data that can help manage passenger loads and staffing. For the traveler, the journey would feel safer and more personalized.

Analog signage strategies proved to be too static in the face of a crisis like COVID-19. As we emerge from the pandemic, the aviation industry must embrace digital strategies as the new normal, a change that has been in the works for some time. The reasons why are clear: Such strategies enable airports to adjust to new circumstances quickly. They give airports more flexibility, allowing for fast gate changes in ways that simply were not possible before. Applied to queueing, digital signage will be coupled with queue monitors to deliver data in real time. By using digital strategies to the fullest, and in an immersive manner, the delivery of the information can be aligned with a passenger’s smartphone and completely personalized. This evolution could create a more tailored, empathetic, and personalized messaging strategy to enhance the traveler’s journey.

Airports are already cities unto themselves. As society increases its focus on a sense of place and local culture, so will airports — just like the cities they serve. With a curated mix of local retail, food and beverage, healthcare, and hospitality functions, the airport experience can become more of a tailored journey for travelers and locals alike. This opens possibilities for greater integration with the outdoors to help ease the stress of traveling and gives the airport a repurposed role as a place where people want to gather, not necessarily tied to arriving or leaving.

As passenger traffic resumes, people will still be drawn to smaller crowds, which will have implications for airport design. Smaller aircraft will drive smaller spaces in terminals. Giving passengers sole responsibility for tagging and dropping their bags at check-in can help minimize space used on queueing. Airports will look to use every portion of their asset.