The American Association of Airport Executives’ recently created Airport Consortium on Customer Trust (ACT) Program, comprised of innovative airport leaders and aviation industry experts, is making available to the aviation community its in-depth analysis, research, and actionable solutions for health enhancements, facility upgrades, and financial recovery in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
AAAE’s ACT Program – through its Working Groups led by airport leaders and the Program’s expert corporate members – has released its initial in-depth analysis and research spanning six key areas important to recovery and building passenger trust in the travel experience:
- Airbridges, Health Screening, and COVID-19 Testing
- Finance and Revenue Generating Innovations
- HVAC and Indoor Air Quality
- Terminal and Passenger Facility Design
- Touchless and Self-Service Technology
- Virtual Queuing
These focus areas were chosen by the ACT Program’s leading airport CEOs specifically to serve air travel well beyond the pandemic. In fact, in many areas, the pandemic serves as a catalyst for innovation that will noticeably improve the air travel experience at airports around the country. For instance, automated queues and wayfinding and biometrically enabled transactions will continue to evolve and make the airport experience more seamless and efficient.
Together, ACT members are shaping the future of airports by testing new solutions and services and sharing results to learn what works – and what does not – to build passenger trust, confidence, and excitement as they return to airports. Moving forward, the ACT Program will continue to bring other innovations and collaborations to the travel experience in the months to come as we move beyond pandemic recovery and focus on enhancing the travel experience broadly.
Program participants are now exploring urban air mobility, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure resiliency to include electric power delivery. Interested organizations are encouraged to contact AAAE to get involved, learn more about what has been done, and where things are headed.
“Airports are committed to coming out of the pandemic with enhanced facilities, processes, and technology to better serve the traveling public and restore passenger confidence,” AAAE President & CEO Todd Hauptli said. “Led by innovative airport executives, the ACT Program has moved our industry significantly forward through in-depth analysis, tested solutions, and effective partnerships – a model that is already producing results and will continue to do so well into the future.”
“AAAE’s ACT Program brings together our country’s most innovative airports, partners, and experts to identify critical gaps and opportunities, develop approaches to address them, influence industry stakeholders in a call to action, and pilot new technology,” said Justin Erbacci, CEO, Los Angeles World Airports. “I am very pleased that in a short time since inception, we already are seeing concrete results from this consortium. The COVID-19 pandemic has added urgency to this need to collaborate, so we can speed up the recovery through quick and informed action and a reimagining of America’s airports.”
“Aviation, as both an economic generator and a means of connecting with family and friends, is more important now than ever before,” said Jenny Buckley, Principal and Arup’s Americas Aviation Leader. “Decisions we make today will positively shape the passenger experience well beyond the pandemic. As an ACT Program cornerstone partner, Arup is excited to work alongside our fellow industry leaders to progress the future of air travel through research, analysis, and actionable solutions.”
Current ACT airport participants include: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Boise Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Denver International Airport, Eugene Airport, Golden Triangle Regional Airport, Greater Toronto Airport Authority, Los Angeles World Airports, Memphis International Airport, Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, San Antonio International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Savannah Hilton Head International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and Tucson Airport Authority. ACT Cornerstone Partners are Arup, CAG Holdings, LLC (CAG), Materna-IPS, and Schneider Electric. Corporate partners are Everbridge, HOK, Jacobs, RS&H, SITA, URW, Vanderlande Industries, EY, Morgan Stanley, Kaplan Kirsch Rockwell, JFKIAT, Ramirez, Steer, and Swanson Rink.
