Summary US airports are adopting latest tech, from facial recognition to automated people movers. Emerging tech trends include biometric boarding passes for identity verification at various checkpoints. Global airports are also adopting tech for smoother experiences, like DigiYatra app in India.
From contactless technology such as face and iris recognition to automated security screening and even people movers, airports across the US are adopting the latest tech. The US government is also awarding grants to airports in the country for maintenance, repair, and upgrade, and together with the involvement of airport operators, many are now seeing a boost in tech use. Emerging tech trends For many passengers, the airport experience in the US is increasingly getting more automated than in previous years.
While many global hub airports in Asia and the Middle East use tech for a smoother airport experience, US airports are also catching up. Increasingly, airports are using facial recognition technology for identity verification at various checkpoints. Sometimes, this involves iris recognition as well.
Airports and airlines are looking at biometric boarding passes, allowing passengers to pass through the airport and board planes using a digital identity. Tech has also found its way into other airport operations, such as operating retail stores or moving travelers around various terminals. With the federal government awarding more grants to US airports and operators also chipping in, US airports are slated for a tech boost in the coming years.
New tech One of the major US airports, Los Angeles International Airport , will soon have a new Automated People Mover (APM). Slated for completion by December 2025 and starting operations in January 2026, the APM will help passengers move around the airport’s premises faster. Parts for the APM train started arriving in the summer of 2022, and recently, the final four cars arrived from their Pittsburgh manufacturer.
These trains will operate around the clock and will have a frequency every two minutes during rush hours from 09:00 to 23:00. Simple Flying has covered this in detail in the article below. The Automated People Mover system at Los Angeles International Airport now has all 44 train cars and is due to open in January 2026.
Facial recognition technology has also made airport operations smoother and more secure. For instance, recently, at Tampa Airport in Florida, a TSA officer caught a passenger using facial matching technology. The traveler in question was trying to use identification and boarding pass meant for someone else.
TSA officers are trained to manually inspect documentation for authenticity, and the use of tech is expected to add another layer of security. Airlines are also increasingly deploying tech to improve passenger experiences. Delta Air Lines now has dedicated bag drop spaces for TSA PreCheck customers at several US airports, allowing passengers to drop off their bags and go through security using their digital boarding pass.
Retail experience at airports could also see significant changes in the years to come. Dallas Love Field Airport is already leading the way in this department. In 2021, Hudson opened a Nonstop store using Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology there, with plans of opening more such stores at other airports.
The carrier is celebrating the opening of the airport’s long-awaited remodeled facility. Global airports Airports worldwide are also increasingly using tech for a smoother experience. Several airports in India now allow passengers to use an app called DigiYatra.
It lets travelers upload their travel information, with which they can navigate various checkpoints in terminals using special dedicated lanes. Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi plans to have sensors at every airport identification checkpoint by 2025. It is working in partnership with the government for this project and will use the database created by storing the biometric information of passengers who arrive in the UAE for the first time.
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