Ground Support Worldwide - 31

PASSENGER
HANDLING

While glass PBBs have been popular in
Europe for some time, they've only recently
been growing in popularity and prevalence in
the U.S. thanks to changes made to national
fire safety laws in the mid-2010s by the
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Paine Field's decision to go with glass PBB's
raised the direct equipment cost roughly 15
to 20 percent. However, it should be noted
that as glass PBBs become more prevalent
in the U.S., it is expected the cost premium
will begin to decrease. The price difference
initially lead Propeller Airports to look at traditional bridges until the aesthetic difference
outweighed the price difference.
"It's a far more pleasurable experience for
the passengers, both usability and aesthetics,"
Mark Reichin, Propeller Airport's COO, says.
Jay Grantham, president at AERO BridgeWorks, Inc., says that the aesthetic value of
glass PBBs are the main attraction.

"The end product is a lot nicer because you
have a clear line of sight," he says. "Let's be
honest, you walk down a jetway, it's not always
the most exciting thing in the world. You're
sometimes standing in queue, sometimes it's
hot, sometimes it's cold, you're anxious to get
onto the flight. It can be a stressful situation
for passengers, but if it's a glass bridge and
you have a line of sight to the view of the
landscape, especially if you're in the middle
of Montana or somewhere with a nice view,
it really does help the passenger experience.
They're a lot cleaner and they seem much
more open. If you were to poll most people,
they would say they like natural light than
illumination light. Just getting the natural light into the bridge, that affects a lot of
people."
However, glass PBBs do pose their own
unique challenges, both during installation
and after. Glass bridges tend to be heavier,

THE

sometimes requiring larger foundations to
hold them. Glass bridges are also more delicate than their metal counterparts and can
break from impact or severe weather changes -
though Bramlett says it's not a common issue.
"The glass can break, whether it be from
impact or from just severe temperature
changes, the glass can crack and although rare,
it has happened. That probably goes into the
category of it's a just a newer product. It's not
something that's been as thoroughly installed
and thoroughly investigated nationwide in the
U.S. In some ways we're still in a bit of learning curve, but at the same time there haven't
been that many issues at all as far as mechanically or physically operating," he says.
What is common, though, is cleaning.
"You have to keep them clean," advises
Reichin.
"They certainly require more maintenance
to upkeep, because they have to be cleaned on

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Setting the worldwide standard in GSE.
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AUGUST 2019

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Ground Support Worldwide

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