Airports Gearing Up To Implement Contactless Services In 2021

Airports across the world have undergone a lot of changes during the covid-19 situation. Apart from the regular cleaning and sanitizing activities, airports have also implemented covid-19 testing stations in order to keep up with the guidelines of the CDC.

Industry experts are of the opinion that airports are now looking towards offering contactless services for travelers. This has become an important aspect of keeping the passengers safe and healthy during the journey.

Airports Gearing Up To Implement Contactless Services In 2021

Several airports offered Travellers the option to reserve the parking slot and pay for it online even before the pandemic. This was part of the additional services to offer better convenience to travelers. However, such services have now become a necessity across airports as passengers prefer touch-free parking systems.

Customers who booked the parking slot online get a QR code that can be scanned to open the garage Gate. License plate readers recognize the vehicles as they exit, and this will be used for billing the passengers.

In the same manner, digital boarding pass and online checking have become the norm at several airports after the pandemic started spreading in March. In earlier days, most people waited in line to get their boarding pass, and this often led to a large crowd at the counters. Airports and Airlines are using a wide range of biometric technology tools to make the journey as touch-free as possible.

Several airports now allow passengers to use smartphones to operate the check-in kiosk. This will avoid having contact with kiosk screens. If Everyone touches the same screen, it can lead to transmission of infection in some cases, and the authorities want to avoid such facilities at the airport. By implementing the connectivity of the check-in kiosks with the smartphone, passengers can easily use their personal devices to operate the check-in kiosk.

Apart from that, several Airlines are also testing a digital health passport called CommonPass that stores the health information needed for travel on a secure app. In this way, the passengers need not handover paper copies of their covid-19 test results.

Several airports are offering facilities for Travellers to put their own IDs into the scanner. The credential authentication Technology units help the airport authorities to reduce the time needed to confirm the identity of the traveler. Not only that, but this also reduces the contact time between the airport authorities and passengers.

Similarly, travelers can now use their mobile devices to order meals for pickup from the restaurants at several airports. The intention of all these apps and Technology is to reduce the airport lines and avoid physical contact between passengers and airport authorities as much as possible. The touch-free ordering options will also help the restaurants to offer the facilities without taking too much risk. As of now, the service is offered only at select international airports, and it is likely to be extended to all the airports in 2021.

Apart from that, the information desks are also going contactless across several airports. Passengers can now use touch-free tablets or their own mobile devices to access the kiosk and connect with customer service agents. In this way, the passengers can get the required information in real-time from the customer service agents who answer the questions from a distance. This not only keeps the passengers safe but also the airport authorities as they have Limited contact with passengers during the journey.

Industry experts feel that such facilities are no longer a luxury, and they have become a necessity after the covid-19 pandemic. The airlines will also benefit a lot by implementing such Technology as it will reduce the dependency on human resources, and they can offer better services to the passengers.