Airport_Business_February-March_2020 - 41

TECHNOLOGY
"What's the ROI?" McCoy said. "Well, we have been doing
passenger satisfaction surveys for 10 years and our net promoter
score had dropped significantly. So we dug a little deeper and
found that it was millennials who were pulling down that score.
[Then] we did a focus group...and they were saying, 'I want to
feel a certain way when I come to your airport. The experience
isn't differentiated from any other airport.'"
With new, large-scale AV experiences throughout, that's
changing. McCoy said CLT has seen an increase in net promoter
score since the AV installation launched, and she expects to see
revenues increase, too.

AV as a Foundational Design Element
At Orlando International Airport, what started as a more
traditional video wall installation morphed into a multitouchpoint experience that stands to influence MCO's massive, $2
billion South Terminal project, scheduled for completion in 2021.
For more than a year, MCO planned and installed the
700-screen, continuous video wall that currently spans nearly
1,600 feet behind the North Terminal's main check-in counters.
It was designed by MCO's technology integrator SITA to work
seamlessly with other airport operational systems to deliver
dynamic wayfinding, along with flight information, destination
time and weather, security and gate information. It was also
created so individual airlines could reinforce their own brand
on-screen while maintaining a uniform look and feel along the
entire expanse.
John Newsome, CIO for the Greater Orlando Aviation
Authority (GOAA), called the video wall a "digital canvas" for
supporting airline and Orlando-area branding. The goal was
also to improve customer service through better, more accessible
information and entertainment, which led to a pervasive
upgrade of the terminal's other digital signage. In addition to
the 700 screens integrated into the video wall, MCO and its
partners installed another 500 displays for curbside wayfinding,
messaging along the automated people movers and elsewhere.
Though each digital canvas differs in size, location and content,
they are part of one networked system, allowing MCO to deliver
flexible, relevant, visual content across the passenger journey
and creating a foundation for future initiatives.
Since the massive video wall went into action, even MCO
has used the dynamic nature of a digital canvas to support
its content initiatives. For example, it introduced Annie the
Astronaut, an animated 3D character who appeared on the
video wall and on other wayfinding screens and served as a
virtual customer service rep.
As MCO continues building its new South Terminal, designs
are in place to push the boundaries of audiovisual experiences.
GOAA officials have shown renderings that include large, digital
sculptures with curved LED display surfaces and interactive
experiences for engaging the traveling public. Architects
described one installation called Windows on Orlando that
will greet travelers and include large, interactive screens showing
live feeds from local beaches and other attractions.

AV as a Visitor Attraction
Indeed, some airport AV installations are created to be
attractions in their own right. At Vienna International Airport,

officials commissioned an audiovisual experience designed to
connect with visitors in new, technologically savvy ways while
enhancing their appreciation of air travel.
Part of Vienna Airport's Visitor World, accessible in Terminal
3, are several audiovisual installations that simulate everything
from a bag's journey through the system, to a virtual view from
air traffic control, to the experience in an airplane cockpit. For
the cockpit area, the airport and its partners installed laser
projectors and a curved screen to create the desired effect in
bright, realistic color. Custom content is fed to the projectors from
a central server and blended together in a single, unified view.
This year, Vienna Airport is introducing a virtual reality
simulator to its Visitor World, reportedly the first of its kind in
Austria. The VR experience, dubbed Birdly, takes participants
on virtual f lights through Jurassic landscapes or New York's
Manhattan. The airport sells tickets to Visitor World, making
the installation not only engaging, but also a revenue generator.
Vienna Airport said that in the first year of its operation, Visitor
World attracted more than 160,000 guests.

Modern Terminals, Modern
Experiences
As airport authorities renovate and upgrade terminal facilities
with modern restaurants and stores, and as they open up transit
areas with floor-to-ceiling windows and even skylights, there
is a growing market for bright, big displays that show more than
just arrival and departure times and baggage claim locations.
Whether it's electronic artwork along concourses, digital
canvasses that serve multiple purposes throughout a terminal,
or exhibits that entertain passengers, audiovisual technology has
become a critical design element for entertaining travelers with
the goal of making airports less stressful and more enjoyable. 

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