THE AIRPORT EXPERIENCE OF THE FUTURE IS AT A WALKING PACE . YOU NEVER HAVE TO STAND IN LINE . YOU ’ RE WALKING OUT OF YOUR CAR , UBER OR TRAIN , THROUGH THE AIRPORT AND GETTING ON YOUR AIRCRAFT .
INDUSTRY WATCH
THE AIRPORT EXPERIENCE OF THE FUTURE IS AT A WALKING PACE . YOU NEVER HAVE TO STAND IN LINE . YOU ’ RE WALKING OUT OF YOUR CAR , UBER OR TRAIN , THROUGH THE AIRPORT AND GETTING ON YOUR AIRCRAFT .
Jennifer Schopfer flies about once a week . Every time , no matter where she ’ s going , she sees the same thing – people who could be moving are instead stuck waiting .
Rather than passing through security , they ’ re tapping their feet in line while the person in front fumbles through their bag in search of an ID .
Rather than boarding their flight , they ’ re sprawled out on chairs because the plane is hundreds of miles away waiting out a storm . system and last longer than 15 minutes , according to the US Federal Aviation Administration .
And it ’ s usually not catastrophic storms that are to blame – mostly , it is everyday downpours , gales and flurries .
Part of the reason is because many air traffic control systems track only what ’ s happening at the moment . That means controllers might keep a plane grounded until a storm clears the flight path completely , when in reality it ’ s perfectly safe to take off much sooner .
And rather than exiting their flight and walking through the jetway , they ’ re squirming in their seats , looking longingly out the windows and waiting for the next available gate .
Much like wayfinding apps help drivers find the fastest way from one place to another , data analytics tools can give pilots , airlines and dispatchers many more options on how to reach their destination .
That one really gets her .
“ That ’ s my biggest pet peeve ,” she said of the tarmac delays . “ Frequently , you wait 15 to 20 minutes . It ’ s almost standard .”
Luckily for Schopfer , she ’ s in a position to do something about it . As the president of Connected Aviation Solutions at Collins Aerospace , she leads an effort at Raytheon Technologies to use data as a means of making air travel more efficient , more reliable , more sustainable and even more enjoyable .
Logistically , commercial aviation works like a precision watch , with many parts that rely on one another for the whole system to function . When all the gears turn as planned – boarding , pre-flight inspection , takeoff , landing , taxiing to the gate – things go well .
Collins Aerospace engineers have developed such a tool : Flight Profile Optimization , a feature of the business ’ FlightHub application . It aggregates information about weather , air traffic and airport congestion , calculates the effect of those variables on flight operation then suggests alternatives to the current flight plan .
Planes sometimes consume more fuel than they need to reach their destination . There are lots of factors that can drive up a flight ’ s fuel burn – altitude , distance , speed , wind resistance , and , of course , time spent in holding patterns .
Flight Profile Optimization has benefits beyond untangling air traffic . It can also help identify more fuelefficient routes , taking into account factors such as distance and wind speed .
Weather has a way of making sure they don ’ t . It accounts for about 75 % of delays that disrupt the
Collins is testing the technology in partnership with a major North American airline , and they ’ re already
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