COVID-19: What Changes To Expect From Airports Now & In The Future

                  

The aviation business has hugely impacted across the world during the shutdown of traveling and closure of borders as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. As the lockdown restrictions are lifted and the traveling has resumed, there is an important need to deploy new technologies at the Airport so that passengers can travel stress-free without the fear of getting contaminated by this infectious disease.

The good news is: The aviation industry globally has well understood the urgency of adopting new technologies that support contactless travel so that people can enjoy traveling again without any tension or fear. For this reason, the tech revolution began even before the flights were resumed however certain advancements are still undergoing to make the experience rich and safe.

Through this blog, we would like to take you on a short ride to discuss such emerging technologies that you might have already or soon encounter on your next travel.

ü  Facial Recognition

In order to reduce the contact between humans and the surface, the boarding and arrival procedures will be conducted through AI powered facial recognition. It will also help in making the boarding process smoother than before. Touchless technology is probably the best way to reduce the transmission of the virus from one person to another. You will use your face to do many things required at the airport without the need to touch anything. Some of the advanced technologies can even scan the face with half-covered. Isn’t it amazing?

ü  Digital Boarding Pass

For reducing the interactions between passengers and staff, online check-ins for boarding passes will soon be made compulsory by the airports. We all know social distancing is extremely crucial at this stage. Most of the hassle at the airport can be seen in the check-in line. To skip long queues and to maintain social distancing, check-in online and get your boarding pass to save time and stay protected as well. Later on, you will be able to scan the barcode at the airport security whenever required. This facility is already available at most of the airports.

ü  Body Temperature Check

One of the main symptoms of the novel coronavirus is a rise in temperature. For this reason, body temperature check has already become the new normal not just in airports but at every public place be its grocery store, restaurant, or malls to detect abnormal body temperature. However, industry experts say that a thermal camera scanner won’t be feasible to identify the infected individual because the symptoms of coronavirus vary from one person to another. Asymptomatic coronavirus cases are another concern of the same. What do you think?

ü  Airport Sanitizing

Hygiene is an important step to reduce the spread of the virus.  Therefore, deep cleaning is taking place at the airports so that passengers can travel safely. You may see Robots cleaning the floor at airports, full body disinfection booth, UV-based disinfection facilities for sanitizing baggage, hand sanitizers in the airport premises, and other such technologies to adhere to every health and safety measure that ensure safe travel. Airports are maintaining high standards of hygiene and sanitation to reduce the risk of infection.

ü  Mobile Ordering

Mobile ordering has been around for years however its usage has accelerated in the times of coronavirus as it is one of the safest and convenient ways to order because of minimum human contact. For this reason, the restaurants, food & beverage shops, lounges etc. at the airport premises will allow passengers to order via QR codes through which they can access menus and make payment as well. Some of them could also ask you to download restaurant apps that can be helpful for the owners as they can have access to guest data.

ü  Smart Airport Apps

     

Such apps are designed to make our airport experience easier. As the pandemic hit, these apps have now become crucial to use so that travelers can stay informed about departure and arrival information, navigating pathways to their respective flights or food restaurants, lounges, parking availability etc. It will also play a part in ensuring physical distancing and make the airport experience easier as travelers can get any information at their fingertips over the mobile phones.

 Final Takeaway

Airports will undergo a massive change and implement innovative solutions in the near future as the primarily focus is the safety of the travelers and the staff members onboard and at the airport premises against this viral pandemic. Passengers can expect an increase of self-services which includes baggage drop, home app check-in, automated boarding gates and more that helps in reducing the contact of passengers and airport staff.

If you have been recently at any airport, we would love to know about your new norm experience!

Post-Pandemic: What Are The Technology Trends That Will Continue After the Coronavirus Era?

   

The number of Coronavirus cases continues to rise despite the implementation of public policy measures to combat the spread of COVID-19. Businesses and economies all over the world have been impacted by the challenging situations due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Working from home, e-learning, virtual get together and video conferences has become the new reality.

This viral pandemic has completely changed the way we used to live. Now, we have become more dependent than ever on our advanced technologies to perform our daily tasks. Businesses and industries are leveraging digital tools to keep their operations going. The “Digital Switch” has made it possible to meet the challenges of Novel Coronavirus and will continue to do so. Want to know why?    

Let’s dive into the article to understand how digital tools have become the necessity to seek solutions and overcome the obstacles of Coronavirus.   

Here we go!

Virtual Conferences:

                                                            

In the case of COVID-19, social distancing is the key element to stop the transmission of the disease. For this reason, businesses have shifted towards a working from home culture to safeguard the health of their employees and flatten the curve of the deadly virus. It has caused many events, conferences, and meetings to be canceled or postponed.

 

In such a case, video conferences have emerged to be a great help for many industries across the globe. Through this technology, people can virtually connect with each other eliminating any time or location barrier as well. Zoom meetings have become an essential tool for the business for their regular meeting in a more productive way than what we used to do pre-COVID era. This trend is here for the long run.

 

Online Learning

During COVID-19 education has shifted to e-learning. Although, it is not a new concept but the closure of schools and colleges across the globe has made it more essential than ever. With this sudden shift towards e-learning, many educational apps have emerged to provide access to education in these difficult times.

 

Remote education is an effective source of learning. The interactive content available online makes the session more engaging for the learners.  The best part is: you can access it as per your availability. With all its advantages, remote learning will continue to remain post-COVID.

 

Virtual Reality

 

Virtual reality has a significant role, especially during times of lockdown. As we were asked to remain in the home and protect ourselves from getting contaminated by the virus, people moved towards virtual reality or augmented reality to pass time and overcome boredom.

 

Our summer plans couldn’t be the same due to the challenging situation but with VR/AR at least we are able to explore our dream destinations virtually. From VR games and shopping to businesses using it to hold a meeting, the usage of VR has boosted in the times of Coronavirus.

 

Contactless Payments

 

In order to avoid the transmission of the virus through paper and coins, people have switched to a digital mode of payment. Earlier, many e-commerce websites have also stopped using COD as a mode of payment and insisted the customers use a digital payment mode, either in the form of a card or e-wallet to ensure safety.

The Coronavirus has accelerated the growth of digital payments. It is expected to continue because of the tension and fear among the individuals who get infected from the virus. It is easy, convenient, and definitely more secure than cash payments.

Internet of Things (IoT)

 

IoT has a vital role to fight against this global pandemic. IoT enabled devices like drones have helped a lot during the lockdown period. For example, as illustrated by Forbes, drones were being used in Dharavi to keep an eye on the residents to ensure lockdown regulations or make an announcement as the drone was connected with the cell phone for the Mumbai Police.

 

IoT devices like a thermometer are great tools for the healthcare system to slow down the spread of the virus. Other devices such as touch-free attendance, hands-free sanitization, supervision of body temperature will continue to help in limiting the number of cases, if executed properly.

 

Artificial Intelligence

 

AI technologies are highly beneficial in the battle against Coronavirus. Since the outbreak, India began using the tools and solutions of AI to ease the situation. Tackling the viral disease has been a lot easier through the usage of robots, contact tracing apps, chatbots, facial recognition, etc.

Many technology start-ups are building various artificially intelligent systems to help fight the COVID-19 and find a potential cure as well. AI is a great weapon, not only in this tough time, but also for future purposes as well. In the coming years, we might be able to use it for early detection and prevention of any future pandemics due to the stored data AI can handle.

Final Thoughts

Technology has come to the rescue since the outbreak of COVID-19 to keep the world operating as much as possible during these unprecedented times. At the moment, technological tools and devices have become essential in order to support the world and give opportunities to businesses, the education sector, and various other industries to invest into new markets and products.