Airports are increasingly turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for a wide variety of use cases and applications including to help relieve their passengers’ travel stress, according to Zensors, which provides intelligent video analytics through cutting-edge computer vision technologies.
More than 2.7 million passengers take to the sky every day and airports are forecast to see up to a 25% increase in passenger volume from late November though early January, thanks to the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. Long lines at security checkpoints and crowded airport terminals are frequently the cause of soaring passenger stress levels.
“Highly sophisticated AI capabilities like Zensors’ can be very easily and quickly deployed to address both airside and landside challenges,” said Barbara Zylinski, president of SecureInsights, LLC, a Washington-based consultancy that supports the introduction of emerging technology to airports and transportation. “By leveraging existing airport infrastructure, like cameras, Zensors is able to collect, process and deliver actionable information to improve airport operations, from managing congestion at passenger drop-off and pick up to providing highly accurate and real-time aircraft movements data airside.”
To help ease tension during the upcoming holiday period, Pittsburgh International Airport and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport are relying on AI to reduce the stress of the holiday rush. By turning to AI companies like Carnegie Mellon University startup, Zensors, airports can provide passengers with real-time wait estimates at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints to give passengers an idea of how much time they can expect to wait in the security queue. What’s more, passengers can access security wait times on airport websites before departing for the airport so they can better manage their time.
“We know that the airport security screening process is very stressful for passengers and a significant operational challenge for airports and air carriers,” said Anuraag Jain, founder of Zensors. “By using Artificial Intelligence to provide real-time data, airports can improve the passenger experience and optimise operations. Having enough time for a beer or coffee once airside is a huge relief for weary holiday passengers.”
Jain added: “AI is rapidly penetrating airports to support a more efficient and seamless journey. Not limited to reporting wait times, AI will power a more personalised travel experience to each customer from the curb to the gate.”
