New JFK Technology To Make Passengers' Lives Easier

With the selection of Electronic Data Systems as the chief technology integrator for the new international terminal at New York's JFK Airport, getting gate and baggage information should be a lot smoother.

The Terminal One Group Association-an airport development partnership consisting of Air France, Japan Airlines, Korean Air and Lufthansa-has chosen EDS to set up information distribution at Terminal One, which is expected to replace the current international arrivals building in 1998.

Aside from the more visible differences-improved signage in multiple languages, more efficient use of checkin counter space-EDS technology will facilitate more rapid dissemination of flight information, weather updates and information on baggage claim locations. Paging will be more efficient as well. For example, "if there's a gate change, airlines will get that information a lot quicker, and consequently passengers will get that information more quickly," said Jeff Rogers, vice president of Airport Services for EDS. "At Terminal One, that information will be transferred almost instantly to the public address system."

Despite the small size of the 11-gate facility, the new terminal will be capable of handling a high concentration of passenger volume, Rogers said.

Indeed, development of a high-technology terminal that can manage heavy traveler traffic couldn't have come at a better time for JFK. The New York gateway has been criticized by travelers, city officials and the media for its outdated infrastructure.

Cherie Joy, corporate travel manager for ICI, a British pharmaceutical company with offices in New York, said 90 percent of her travel bookings are international, and a trip to Kennedy is not high on her travelers' wish lists.

"JFK needs all kinds of improvements compared to just about every other airport," she said. "It's not easy to get around because the many terminals are not connected. We use the British Airways terminal for the most part and it's fine, but the problem is with the whole airport."

In addition, JFK must compete with other gateway airports that are continually undergoing upgrades, said Ira Weinstein, president of Air Marketing Services, an airport research and marketing firm.

The new project, Weinstein contended, will not solve the airport's problem because an integrated approach is needed to improve the facility, rather than small changes or even a new terminal.

Airport officials, in contrast, are optimistic. "Passengers will notice a dramatic improvement in international service at JFK," said Dieter Bergt, CEO of TOGA.

EDS, meanwhile, has won similar contracts at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and the new Chek Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong.