Airports are considering how to prepare for a post-Covid-19 air travel environment in order to protect and reassure a public wary of flying.
According to an April International Air Transport Association survey, 60 percent of traveler respondents anticipate a return to travel within one to two months of Covid-19 containment, but 40 percent said they could wait six months or more before getting on a plane. IATA has called on governments to work with the aviation industry to take confidence-boosting measures.
"I am concerned about what the airports will look like when we begin to slowly return," Sean Parham, a Los Angeles-based global travel manager for Snapchat, which has banned all travel until further notice. "The question of distance and sanitization is a huge issue, not to mention the use of public restrooms and public transportation."
Airport operators and vendors have seen revenue plummet due to the drop in foot traffic, according to Jeff Livney, chief experience officer for Grab, a technology provider for airport restaurants and concessionaires. Vendors have laid off and furloughed staff and requested relief on rent from their airports, he said.
Trade association Airport Council International World forecasts there will be a global drop of more than two billion air passengers in the second quarter of 2020 and more than 4.6 billion passengers for all of 2020. The association estimates global total airport revenue will drop by $39.2 billion in the second quarter and more than $97 billion for 2020.
ACI World has published guidance and information to its airport members to manage and recover from the impacts of the Covid -19 pandemic, according to ACI World deputy director general of programmes and services Antoine Rostworowski. In April, ACI World published a document called "Operational Practice Examples for Managing Covid-19" that details measures taken by its airport members. Among examples are the introduction of temperature screening, requiring passenger health declaration forms, offering facilities for passengers to clean and sanitize their hands and enhancing cleaning of staff and public areas, such as restaurants, escalators and lifts, luggage trolleys and others.
ACI World's example measures, however, are guidance and not directives for airports. Airports ultimately must work with and meet the requirements of local authorities and agencies, according to Rostworowski. "The advice and guidance we provide is designed to be a range of measures that can be adopted and adapted to suit local conditions," he said.
When asked to name specific airports using an example measure, Rostworowski declined to name them and said, "these measures are being implemented at major international airports, gathered from across ACI's membership."
Still, the likely result of airports' mitigation measures will be a patchwork of measures at different airports globally, and travelers will need to adapt to different experiences depending on where they travel and where they connect.
In the U.S, government agencies, operators and vendors at the airport have been encouraging or mandating their employees and customers abide by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols. For example, the Transportation Security Administration, which reported that 548 of its employees, mostly airport screeners, as of May 11 have tested positive for Covid-19, has implemented social distancing in its security lines to minimize direct contact between travelers and employees. As of May 7, TSA has mandated all its employees to wear face masks at screening points. Some airports, like Los Angeles International Airport, have mandated travelers wear masks.
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There will be long-term changes to traveler behavior. "Covid-19 has made it clear that the way people are going to move and how they are going to interact is going to be everlasting, from basics of how people are social distancing now to personal hygiene to awareness of their impact on the people around them," said Sammy Patel, VP of commercial at Vantage Airport Group, which manages, invests in and develops airports.
Airport stakeholders expect travelers to return with new expectations. "There seems to be an understanding that the shopping habits of customers in airports will change, particularly when it comes to social distancing in crowded dining rooms, food courts and retail shops," said Chris Hartman, chief experience offer for AtYourGate, which provides gate delivery services at airports.
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Livney has spoken with airport vendors, managers and agencies about reducing points of human contact in the traveler experience. He said airports are focused on the question: "Can you go through the entire experience without touching people?" Client interest has shifted away from touchscreen kiosks and face-to-face interactions to mobile solutions and virtual kiosks, he said.
Health measures and certification will likely become the new normal, according to Rostworowski. In a report entitled "The Rise of Sanitized Travel," aviation marketing consultancy SimpliFlying predicted there will be more than 70 different areas in the passenger journey that will be changed due to the "new demands of the travelers." Airport curbside drop-off and pickup times, for example, will increase and be restricted to only those traveling because of new screening requirements and procedures.
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Rostworowski said airports are and will continue to experiment with technologies that provide a touchless journey. "Some airports are using technologies such as biometrics, automated e-gates, robotics, and AI [artificial intelligence] which offer an opportunity to deliver a 'touchless' journey, automate tasks, increase efficiency, while allowing for stronger security," he said.
He pointed to Hong Kong International Airport as an example. Hong Kong implemented autonomous cleaning robots at key terminal operating areas to ensure thorough disinfection of public areas and passenger facilities. On May 6, Heathrow Airport announced it is trialing UV sanitation, facial recognition thermal screening technology and contactless security equipment. The airport will assess these technologies on medical effectiveness, consumer confidence and practicality in an airport environment.
New airport terminals will be designed to accommodate the public's new mindset and future touchless technologies, Patel said. Check-in desk types and their placements, for example, will be thought of differently, he said, pointing to the changes U.S. airports made to their designs to incorporate screening technologies and processes after 9/11.