New Airport Amenities Keep Travelers Safe and Entertained

With the holiday season approaching, so is the prospect of long travel. If you’re planning on braving holiday airport crowds in the era of coronavirus perhaps you’ll be lucky enough to be able to take advantages of one of these new airport amenities.

• Tuscon International Airport, Tuscon, AZ—Hands-Free Elevators

1. 1. Whether you want to avoid germs or simply not let go of your bag, this new technology at Tuscon International Airport is sure to make life easier. The upgrade, which was unveiled in October, allows for riders to call and direct the airport’s elevators with “toe tap buttons.” The foot pedals are being used in conjunction with capacity limits on elevators and enhanced air filtration to help reduce the spread of Covid-19 and other germs throughout the airport.

• Denver International Airport, Denver, CO—“Luminous Wind”

1. While many of the newest innovations at airports have been related to combating the pandemic, the Denver airport has recently expanded its collection of public art, unveiling Luminous Wind, a 27 foot tall sculpture located at the 61st and Peña Light Rail Station just outside the airport. The sculpture, designed by artists Laura Haddad and Thomas Drugan contains 952 acrylic rods which reflect the sun by day and provide a unique lightshow at night thanks to their color-changing LED bulbs and built-in barometer technology which reacts to the wind patterns.

• Ronald Reagan Airport, Washington D.C.—Touchless ID Scanning

1. The TSA rolled out a pilot program for a new ID checking system that will reduce person-to-person contact this fall at Ronald Reagan Airport. Instead of handing their ID to a security officer, the new system allows passengers to slide a wide array of IDs into a machine which will match it to their face. Anyone who has TSA pre-check can use the new system, but if it is successful the TSA plans to expand it to other airports.

• Miami International Airport, Miami, FL— “Touch From Above”

1. Denver isn’t the only airport rolling out new art this year. In this difficult time Miami International Airport opened a new display, Touch from Above, inspired by “random acts of kindness.” Local artist Gianna Dcreated 11 thickly layered of colorful swirls meant to resemble elaborate baked goods. The exhibit will be on display through July 2021.

1. Toronto Pearson International Airport, Toronto, Cananda—CleanSlate Sanitizers

1. Our devices have the potential to be some of the germiest surfaces we come in contact with, picking up particles from everywhere we use them. That’s why Toronto’s Pearson airport has installed CleanSlate

1. UV device sanitizers near its security terminals. Simply place your device on the tray, close the lid, use the provided hand sanitizer, then remove the device when the lid opens automatically! The UV light kills bacteria, including COVID-19 and doesn’t damage your touchscreen.

• Pre-Flight COVID Testing

1. Finally, as the busy holiday travel season approaches airlines and airports around the country and around the world are working to make it easier for travelers to avoid mandatory quarantines by providing pre-flight COVID testing. Oakland International Airport is providing free testing for travelers to Hawaii and Tampa International Airport has rolled out a rapid pre-flight testing program for all passengers. On the airline side JetBlue has partnered with test provider Vault Health to provide passengers with at-home tests to take before they travel, while

Photo: Touch from Above at Miami International Airport