US Airports Roll Out New Technologies For Smoother Holiday Travel

With the holiday travel rush expected to begin soon, US airports are anticipating huge crowds. To better manage the increased footfall, some airports have prepared in advance, such as increasing parking spaces and enhancing security screening facilities. Let’s find out more.
Houston Airports
Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is expecting a huge surge in passengers during the Thanksgiving travel period. According to Travel and Tour World, it anticipates 206,000, 205,000, and 200,000 passengers on December 1, November 22, and November 24, respectively.
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To manage such a high footfall, a cashless parking system has been implemented at Houston Hobby Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport’s ecopark2. This will enable visitors to move in and out of the parking premises using license plates
Houston Airports also advises passengers to pre-book parking spots and keep buffer time to reach airports for a smoother experience. Those interested can also download the Houston Airports app, which provides real-time TSA wait times, among other updates.
Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas
For those worried about finding a parking space at the airport during rush hour, Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas has introduced an online parking reservation system.
Visitors can reserve a parking space in advance, making the airport experience more convenient. According to Travel and Tour World, a little over 600 parking spots have been reserved across Terminals 1 and 3.
Terminal 1 has 286 spaces available at $28 per day at Level 2M, while Terminal 3 has 350 spaces offered at $21 per day at Level 1.
Photo: RYO Alexandre | Shutterstock
With a higher-than-usual rush at the airport for the next couple of weeks, the online parking reservation feature will be handy for many travelers.
Many airports are mindful of the parking challenges faced by visitors. Even San Antonio International Airport recently launched a new system to operate its parking spots using artificial intelligence. It eliminates the use of traditional ticket-based entry and saves time for airport visitors. More on this can be found in the article below.
Salt Lake City International Airport
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) aims to make the security screening experience smoother for both passengers and officials. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has added three new body scanners at the airport.
Photo: Semrah Odobasic | Shutterstock
According to DesertNews, these scanners offer a dual-monitor screening process in which one monitor highlights specific areas on a person that need checking while the second monitor continues to scan other passengers at the same time.
Some other tech applications used at the airport include next-generation credential authentication, where the traveler’s identification document is used to confirm the match without using the boarding pass.
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US airports increasingly embrace new tech
While the above-mentioned measures are definitely helpful during the holiday travel rush, they also highlight a growing trend of US airports adopting newer technology for a smoother passenger experience.
Many airports in the country need an infrastructure boost to bring them up to par with their counterparts in other countries. And using the latest technology, including AI, among other things, is the way forward.