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Baggage Handling Update FAA Simulates A380 Spacing Schiphol Tests Robotic Baggage System
www.aaae.org/magazine | October/November 2006

Baggage Handling Update
FAA Simulates A380 Spacing
Schiphol Tests Robotic Baggage System
Baggage Handling Update FAA Simulates A380 Spacing Schiphol Tests Robotic Baggage System
Baggage Handling Update FAA Simulates A380 Spacing Schiphol Tests Robotic Baggage System
Baggage Handling Update FAA Simulates A380 Spacing Schiphol Tests Robotic Baggage System
Volume 18/ Number 6 | October/November 2006

                                                                                                        M     A     G       A       Z         I     N       E

              features
              cover:         Signage in the Digital Age| 22                                                                     EDITORIAL           BOARD
                                                                                                                                  WILLIAM G. BARKHAUER
              Aesthetics, emergency communications and advertising revenue can all play a part
                                                                                                                                     Morristown, New Jersey
              in implementing new signage. And what about plasma, LCD and LED technology?                                                  BRYAN ELLIOTT
         22                                                                                                                          Charlottesville, Virginia
                                                                                                                                               BILL HOGAN
              Magazine Dedication| 16                                                                                               Reynolds, Smith, & Hills
              Tom Suzuki shaped the very first issues of Airport Magazine.                                                             JAMES E. JOHNSON
                                                                                                                                             Odessa, Florida
                                                                                                                                           RANDY D. POPE
              baggage handling                                                                                                          Burns & McDonnell
         16
              Expediting the Baggage Handling Process | 30                                                    AAAE       BOARD          OF   DIRECTORS
              As airports demand higher-speed baggage conveyance systems—and as the
                                                                                                                                                    CHAIR
              TSA demands more security—new baggage handling systems are being tested                                    ELAINE ROBERTS, Columbus, Ohio
              and installed. The result? Less lost luggage, higher delivery speeds and
                                                                                                                                FIRST        VICE   CHAIR
              improved security.                                                                                                KRYS T. BART, Reno, Nevada
         30                                                                                                                 SECOND           VICE   CHAIR
              airport innovation                                                                                        JAMES P. ELWOOD, Aspen, Colorado

                                                                                                                        SECRETARY/TREASURER
              Schipol Studies Robotic Automation For Baggage                                                        JOHN K. DUVAL, Boston, Massachusetts
              Handling Tasks | 36
                                                                                                                                FIRST        PAST   CHAIR
              KLM and Schiphol Airport have implemented a pilot robotic baggage loading and                       R. LOWELL PRATTE, Louisville, Kentucky
              unloading system that both lightens the load for employees and automates the
                                                                                                                           SECOND            PAST   CHAIR
              baggage handling process.                                                                 WILLIAM G. BARKHAUER, Morristown, New Jersey

              ground operations                                                                                          BOARD          OF   DIRECTORS
                                                                                                      STEPHEN J. ADAMS, JR., Manchester, New Hampshire
                                                                                                                     LORI L. BECKMAN, Denver, Colorado
              FAA Simulates Potential Pavement Problems And ATC                                                     JAMES E. BENNETT, Washington, D.C.
              Delays For A380 | 42                                                                                RANDALL D. BERG, Salt Lake City, Utah
              Computer simulations developed for the Airbus A380 at the FAA Technical                            BENJAMIN R. DECOSTA, Atlanta, Georgia
              Center will help airports deal with the increased weight load and longer in-trail            KEVIN A. DILLON, Manchester, New Hampshire
                                                                                                              BRYAN O. ELLIOTT, Charlottesville, Virginia
              spacing mandated by ICAO.
                                                                                                                      LINDA G. FRANKL, Columbus, Ohio
                                                                                                                      MICHAEL J. HANEY, Moline, Illinois
                                                                                                                 GARY L. JOHNSON, Stillwater, Oklahoma
                                                                                                                     PAULA JORDAN, DFW Airport, Texas
                                                                                                                    ALEX M. KASHANI, Washington, D.C.
                                                                                                               PARKER W. MCCLELLAN, Orlando, Florida
              departments                                                                                       MICHAEL A. MUSCA, Modesto, California
                                                                                                            ROBERT P. OLISLAGERS, Englewood, Colorado
                                                                                                                JEANNE M. OLIVIER, New York, New York
              Inner Marker                                                                        6
                                                                                                                          LISA A. PYLES, Addison, Texas
              Up Front                                                                            8                 GARY T. RICE, Santa Maria, California

              Corporate Outlook                                                               18
                                                                                                                         CHAPTER             PRESIDENTS
              Market Scan                                                                     20                       MIKE D. SHAHAN, Denison, Texas
                                                                                                                  ALVIN L. STUART, Salt Lake City, Utah
              General Aviation                                                                29                     ROD A. DINGER, Redding, California
              Retail Spotlight                                                                34             DAVID N. EDWARDS, Fletcher, North Carolina
                                                                                                            THOMAS M. RAFTER, Hammonton, New Jersey
              Airport Spotlight                                                               40                 CHARLES J. GOODWIN, Columbus, Ohio
              Airport Tech                                                                    46
              Billboard                                                                       48               POLICY       REVIEW           COMMITTEE
                                                                                                              THELLA F. BOWENS, San Diego, California
              Advertisers’ Index                                                              49               MARK P. BREWER, Warwick, Rhode Island
              Advertisers’ Index                                                              50           TIMOTHY L. CAMPBELL, Baltimore, Maryland
                                                                                                      CHERYL COHEN-VADER, Denver International Airport
                                                                                                                    LARRY D. COX, Memphis, Tennessee
                                                                                                              ALFONSO DENSON, Birmingham, Alabama
                                                                                                                 KEVIN C. DOLLIOLE, St. Louis, Missouri
                                                                                                              KENT G. GEORGE, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
                                                                                                                MICHAEL A. GOBB, Lexington, Kentucky
              coming in Airport Magazine                                                                  CHARLES J. ISDELL, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
              Architecture/Engineering/Planning Trends (December/January)                                THOMAS R. JARGIELLO, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
              Parking Update (December/January)                                                           THOMAS J. KINTON, JR., Boston, Massachusetts
                                                                                                                      DAVID KRIETOR, Phoenix, Arizona
                                                                                                                          LYNN F. KUSY, Mesa, Arizona
                                                                                                                  ERIN M. O’DONNELL, Chicago, Illinois
                                                                                                                 MORTON V. PLUMB, Anchorage, Alaska
                                                                                                                     MARK M. REIS, Seattle, Washington
                                                                                                               LESTER W. ROBINSON, Detroit, Michigan
                                                                                                               JAMES R. SMITH, Newport News, Virginia
              Cover Design: Daryl E. Humphrey
                                                                                                                                              PRESIDENT
                                                                                                              CHARLES M. BARCLAY, Alexandria, Virginia
Baggage Handling Update FAA Simulates A380 Spacing Schiphol Tests Robotic Baggage System
Baggage Handling Update FAA Simulates A380 Spacing Schiphol Tests Robotic Baggage System
im                                 inner marker

                     Airports As Economic Engines
                         discussed in this space, in a previous issue, the      As an added economic development bonus to

                     I   advent of Very Light Jets (VLJs), their positive
                         impact on our industry and their potential
                     impact on our airspace and airports.
                                                                             Gainesville, Eclipse is building a 61,000 square foot
                                                                             maintenance facility at the airport. The factory
                                                                             service center is slated to open in early 2007. Half
                                                                             of the $11.2 million construction project was fund-
                       An additional positive aspect of VLJs was brought
                     to my attention recently in a meeting with Rick         ed by the Florida Department of Transportation
                     Crider, CEO of Gainesville Regional Airport, in         (FDOT) Aviation Work Program, with the other half
                     Florida. Crider and I got together at the annual        funded by traditional bank financing. Crider says
                     National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) con-      that tax incentives were also part of the package
                     vention in Orlando, as this issue was going to press.   offered to Eclipse and DayJet.
                       VLJs are the subject of much conversation and            Crider makes it clear that Gainesville’s success
                     speculation here at the convention because they         story is the hard-won product of a cooperative
                     are relatively new and because they have attracted      effort by the airport authority, Eclipse and DayJet
                     significant amounts of capital investment from          officials, the local Chamber of Commerce, and
                     both traditional aviation and non-aviation sources.     regional and state government. A host of individu-
                     Several rosy general aviation industry forecasts        als played a part and many people will benefit from
                     were released this week at the convention, most of      the creation of new business and new jobs, with a
                     them taking into account the introduction of VLJs       potential of 160 employees at the Eclipse mainte-
                     to the marketplace. Although the various forecasts      nance base and 60 at the DayJet dayport. A large
                     present slightly different numbers, they are all        number of the jobs are high-paying, skilled labor
                     extremely positive.                                     jobs. According to DayJet, the combined average
                       Crider has an airport success story to tell,          economic impact to the community of both the
                     which involves VLJs, Eclipse Aviation and               DayJet base and the Eclipse facility during the first
                     Gainesville Airport. DayJet, one of the first-to-       three years of operation will be more than $26 mil-
                     market on-demand air taxi services employing            lion—an impressive number.
                     the Eclipse 500 VLJ, has picked Gainesville as             Crider’s advice to other airports looking to build
                     one of nine “dayports” located in Florida.              their economic base: “Gainesville Airport is seen as
                     Gainesville Airport, which serves three sched-          an economic engine. Be flexible and look for new
                     uled airlines and a lot of general aviation traffic,    business paradigms and evolving trends.” Solid
                     was selected for its strong business climate and        advice from someone who knows.
                     demand for direct regional access. The city is also
                     home to the University of Florida, a community
                     college and a major medical center.
                       The concept behind DayJet is to offer per-seat, on-
                     demand service primarily to business travelers
                     making short trips—or in other words, making the        Clif Stroud
                     convenience of corporate jets available to a much       Editor
                     broader market than traditionally has been the case.    clif.stroud@aaae.org

6   Airport Magazine | October/November 2006
Baggage Handling Update FAA Simulates A380 Spacing Schiphol Tests Robotic Baggage System
M    A       G      A        Z       I       N       E

                           INTERIM         EDITOR
                                         CLIF STROUD
                                   clif.stroud@aaae.org

                                     PUBLISHER
                                      JOAN LOWDEN

                        EXECUTIVE          EDITOR
                                   ELLEN P. HORTON

                            DEPUTY         EDITOR
                                    BARBARA COOK

                                 NEWS      EDITOR
                                 HOLLY ACKERMAN

ASSISTANT/SPOTLIGHTS                       EDITOR
                                      BETSY WOODS

                             ART     DIRECTION
                                 DARYL HUMPHREY

         SENIOR      GRAPHIC             DESIGNER
                                     SEUNG HEE LEE

                             CONTRIBUTORS
                                          ATAA ALY
                                    SCOTT CATTRAN
                                  JENNIFER MICHELS
                                      HENRY PETERS
                                      ALISON SMITH
    STAFF        CONTRIBUTING              EDITOR
                                     ERYN TRAVIS
         Director of Communications, Federal Affairs

                 STAFF      PHOTOGRAPHER
                                     JAMES MARTIN

                 STAFF VICE PRESIDENT
                 SALES AND MARKETING
                                     SUSAN LAUSCH
                                 susan.lausch@aaae.org

                                     DIRECTOR
                 SALES     AND      MARKETING
                                      GREG MIHELIC
                                 greg.mihelic@aaae.org

                        EDITORIAL          OFFICE
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                           Copyright 2006 by AAAE.
                                   All rights reserved.
               Statements of fact and opinion are the
             responsibility of the authors and do not
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                    or any of its members or officers.

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                                                          Airport Magazine | October/November 2006   7
Baggage Handling Update FAA Simulates A380 Spacing Schiphol Tests Robotic Baggage System
uf                            up front

                                                                                                                                        LANGUAGE LINE SERVICES
    Sea-Tac Translation
    Service Aids
    International
    Travelers
    Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
    has responded to growing foreign lan-
    guage interpretation needs with a lan-
    guage access program that uses dual
    handset phones to provide passen-
    gers with information in their
    own language.
       The airport used to be served only
    by a Japanese visitor center and some
    on-site interpreters assigned to spe-
    cific flights. In the last few years,
    however, Sue Hansen Smith, the air-
    port’s customer service manager,
    noticed a much wider spectrum of
    international visitors, and saw the
    need for the airport to update its lan-
    guage access program to include
    additional languages.
       To create a cost-effective, user-
    friendly way to serve a growing num-       Language Line dual-handset phones allow Sea-Tac to provide translation services in
    ber of multi-lingual travelers, Hansen     170 languages.
    Smith began working with Language
    Line Services, an interpretation serv-
    ice, to integrate Language Line dual-      in their native languages, which              Phoenix Sky Harbor
    handset phones throughout the air-         makes it much easier for passengers
    port. These phones enable passengers       to understand the Customs and                 Opens Areas of
    to have a three-way conversation           Immigration process, enhance securi-          Rescue For People
    with an airport customer service           ty procedures and expedite passenger
    agent and interpreter. The phones are      processing.”                                  With Disabilities
    readily available in customs, immi-          The Language Line Service has sig-
    gration, agriculture and the main ter-     nificantly increased the number of            Phoenix Sky Harbor International
    minal, along with cordless versions        travelers who can be accommodated,            Airport has created areas of rescue
    in other locations.                        providing translations in 170 lan-            assistance to be used by people in
       “We want international travelers to     guages.                                       wheelchairs or those with limited
    feel welcome when they arrive at Sea-        “Language Line Services receives            mobility in the event of an emergency,
    Tac Airport,” said Port of Seattle         hundreds of call a month from Sea-            when elevators may be shut down,
    Commission President Patricia Davis.       Tac,” Louis Provenzano, Language              leaving only stairs by which to exit the
    “Language Line Services’ dual hand-        Line Services president and chief             building. The areas of rescue are well-
    set phones make it possible to pro-        operating officer. “In August alone,          marked with a sign showing a wheel-
    vide interpreter services to passen-       Sea-Tac requested interpreters in             chair symbol, and most often are locat-
    gers in languages we were not able to      29 different languages, the most              ed in the landings of stairwells.
    accommodate in the past. We’re able        popular being Korean, Vietnamese                During an emergency, firefighters
    to provide travelers with information      and Mongolian.”                               will check the areas of rescue for peo-

8   Airport Magazine | October/November 2006
Baggage Handling Update FAA Simulates A380 Spacing Schiphol Tests Robotic Baggage System
news briefs

                                           ple who need to be transported or              currently     being     planned      for    U.K.-based National Express Group PLC
                                           need assistance down stairs. In addi-          Terminal 3. When the project is fin-        announced that it is talking to interested
                                           tion, each area is equipped with an            ished, there will be four areas of res-     parties about assuming the remainder of
                                           intercom system that provides two-             cue in Terminal 3. They will be             the lease the company now holds for
                                           way communication with the Sky                 located on balconies extending from         New York's Stewart International
                                           Harbor Communications Center.                  stairway landings, off of Level 2 in        Airport. National Express said it deter-
                                           Instructions are located at each site          the lobby area. In Terminal 4, there        mined to exit the airport lease to focus
                                           telling visitors what to do in case of an      are six in the stairwells off the lobby     in on its core bus and train business.
                                           emergency. In addition, there are              area of Level 3 (pre-security) and          "Airports are not planned to be part of
                                           Braille-enhanced “You are here” maps           several also available behind security.     the core portfolio long term," the com-
                                           in these areas. When the communica-                                                        pany said. National Express said it
                                           tions center is contacted via intercom                                                     expects to make a selection in the near
                                           from one of these locations, the dis-          Los Angeles                                 term of the new lease holder, and com-
                                           patchers can automatically identify
                                           the location of the caller. The inter-
                                                                                          Airport Receives                            plete the transaction by year-end…. The
                                                                                                                                      New Orleans Aviation Board has adopt-
                                           com allows the person in need of               Alternative-Fuel                            ed a relief package to assist small busi-
                                           assistance to talk to the communica-
                                           tions center dispatcher.
                                                                                          Airfield Buses                              nesses and subtenants participating in
                                                                                                                                      the gifts and concessions program at
                                              The area of rescue assistance proj-                                                     Louis Armstrong New Orleans
                                           ect started in Terminal 2, where               Los Angeles International Airport           International. When Hurricane Katrina
                                           there are five such locations behind           (LAX) has received 12 high-capacity         struck in August 2005, the small busi-
                                           security in the gate areas. There also         airfield buses from North American          ness owners/subtenants of New Orleans
                                           are ramps from the lobby to the exits          Bus Industries (NABI) that operate on       Air Ventures, the airport's news and gifts
                                           of Terminal 2. Areas of rescue are             compressed natural gas.                     master concessionaire, were earning a
                                                                                                                                      net cash flow of approximately $365,000
PHOENIX SKY HARBOR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

                                                                                                                                      annually. Since Katrina, with the down-
                                                                                                                                      turn in passenger traffic, the annual net
                                                                                                                                      cash flow has been reduced to approxi-
                                                                                                                                      mately $60,000, a $300,000 negative
                                                                                                                                      impact, the board said. The relief pack-
                                                                                                                                      age approved for the concessionaires is
                                                                                                                                      expected to total more than $1.1 million
                                                                                                                                      in additional cash flow over four years.
                                                                                                                                      The program is expected to cost the avi-
                                                                                                                                      ation board approximately $250,000
                                                                                                                                      annually….IBM has been chosen to pro-
                                                                                                                                      vide a new IT system for Letiste Praha
                                                                                                                                      a.s. (Prague Airport) in the Czech
                                                                                                                                      Republic. The new IT system will enable
                                                                                                                                      the airport to improve service and lower
                                                                                                                                      costs, IBM said. As part of the three-
                                                                                                                                      and-a-half year agreement, IBM will
                                                                                                                                      implement the solution over the next
                                                                                                                                      16 months, and maintain and manage
                                                                                                                                      the system….

                                                                                                                                      Retail Breifs are on pg 35.

                                             Areas of rescue will allow emergency personnel to locate and assist disabled individu-
                                             als more quickly.

                                                                                                                                          Airport Magazine | October/November 2006   9
Baggage Handling Update FAA Simulates A380 Spacing Schiphol Tests Robotic Baggage System
up front
     LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

                                         New, longer buses at LAX will help the airport accommodate passengers from the larger A380, and transport those passengers
                                         more efficiently than current buses.

                            At a cost of $659,000, each bus has                  diversion for on-airport activity,” said         Horizon serves PDX travelers about
                          seating for 22 plus standing capacity                  Mark Baskin, a bus operator supervi-          600 cups of coffee each day. All that
                          of 80 with carry-on bags, including                    sor. “LAX bus operations logged 659           coffee generates a lot of coffee
                          space for wheelchairs and strollers.                   operations carrying 123,282 passen-           grounds that are now being turned
                          There are two wheelchair ramps.                        gers in April alone so these buses will       into compost as part of the PDX food-
                            The new higher-capacity airfield                     more easily accomplish that.”                 waste diversion program. United
                          buses are needed to accommodate the                      Built in Anniston, Alabama, by              Airlines is supporting the program by
                          arrival of new large aircraft, such as                 NABI and driven to the facilities of its      collecting food scraps from employee
                          the Airbus 380, that will begin serv-                  regional service division in Ontario,         lunchrooms at PDX.
                          ice at LAX. Seven international air                    Calif., as part of the company’s road            Collecting food waste from airlines
                          carriers have announced plans to                       test program, the buses were then             is the newest phase of the expanding
                          operate the A-380, starting in late                    delivered to LAX.                             food waste diversion program. Since
                          2007 or early 2008 through 2010. The                     There are nine cameras on each bus          its launch by the Port of Portland in
                          A-380 can carry between 555 and 800                    for security purposes.                        2003, the program has sent about 550
                          passengers, depending upon seating                                                                   tons of food waste to a regional com-
                          configuration.                                                                                       posting facility. This year alone, the
                            The 60-foot-long buses will trans-                   Horizon Air,                                  program will divert from landfills an
                          port passengers between the termi-                                                                   estimated 240 tons of food waste,
                          nals and the remote boarding gates
                                                                                 United Airlines                               including food preparation scraps,
                          more efficiently than the airport’s                    Help Expand                                   coffee grounds, plate scrapings, food-
                          existing fleet of 20 airfield buses that                                                             soiled paper napkins and towels, and
                          accommodate 60 to 80 passengers
                                                                                 PDX Food Waste                                other compostable paper fibers like
                          each. These new buses replace five                     Diversion Program                             waxed cardboard. The food waste
                          22-year-old diesel buses that are at                                                                 comes from about two dozen PDX
                          the end of their operating service life.                                                             restaurants, hotels and flight
                                                                                 Portland International Airport (PDX)
                            “The new buses are state-of the-art,                                                               kitchens, and now from airlines.
                                                                                 is expanding its food-waste diversion
                          alternative fuel, ADA compliant,                                                                        These companies and others also
                                                                                 program with assistance from
                          fully air-conditioned and will be use-                                                               recycle paper, cardboard, glass,
                                                                                 Horizon Air and United Airlines.
                          ful on and off the airfield if there is a                                                            metal, plastic bottles, pallets and

10                        Airport Magazine | October/November 2006
even cooking grease, airport offi-           also help create a valuable commodi-        is processed at Cedar Grove
                                 cials noted.                                 ty—compost.”                                Composting facilities, located in
                                   “We like to use our resources wise-          Horizon collects its coffee               Maple Valley and Everett, Wash.
                                 ly,” said Nikki Meler, Horizon Air           grounds in five-gallon buckets.             Once processed, waste from the air-
                                 food and beverage supervisor.                Employees then dump the loose cof-          port may wind up in a nearby home
                                 “Contributing our coffee grounds to          fee grounds into food-waste contain-        improvement store as high-quality
                                 the food waste diversion program is a        ers provided by the port. The port          compost and soil amendment.
                                 great opportunity to not only avoid          sends food waste to the Metro trans-           Gresham Sanitary Service, the
                                 sending material to the landfill, but        fer station, and from there the waste       port’s food waste hauler, collects
                                                                                                                          food scraps from PDX and partner
                                                                                                                          businesses located near the airport
PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

                                                                                                                          as part of one collection route,
                                                                                                                          rather than making separate hauling
                                                                                                                          trips. That approach offers partici-
                                                                                                                          pating businesses reduced trans-
                                                                                                                          portation costs, and helps reduce air
                                                                                                                          emissions.      Gresham      Sanitary
                                                                                                                          Service exclusively uses Biodiesel
                                                                                                                          (B20) in all of its waste hauling
                                                                                                                          trucks, further protecting air quality,
                                                                                                                          officials noted.

                                                                                                                          USA3000 Launches
                                                                                                                          Flying Billboard
                                                                                                                          Promotion
                                                                                                                          USA3000, St. Petersburg-Clearwater
                                                                                                                          International Airport, and the St.
                                                                                                                          Petersburg-Clearwater Convention
                                                                                                                          and Visitors Bureau are launching a
                                                                                                                          new advertising promotion to cele-
                                                                                                                          brate the airline’s third anniversary of
                                                                                                                          service at the airport–—a flying bill-
                                                                                                                          board. Mounted on the tail of
                                                                                                                          a USA3000 A320 aircraft is a
                                                                                                                          wrap-around photo of one of
                                                                                                                          Pinellas County’s beaches with
                                                                                                                          www.Floridasbeach.com on one side
                                                                                                                          and the airport’s tagline, “Your
                                                                                                                          Gateway to Tampa Bay,” and
                                                                                                                          web address, www.fly2PIE.com, on
                                                                                                                          the other.
                                                                                                                              “We are thrilled to team with
                                                                                                                          USA3000 on this unique promotion-
                                                                                                                          al idea,” said Carole Ketterhagen,
                                                                                                                          executive director of the convention
                                                                                                                          and visitors bureau. “This is a fun,
                                                                                                                          creative way to generate exposure
                                                                                                                          for our brand and our destination.”
                                                                                                                             The airline said it has been suc-
                                                                                                                          cessful at the airport, prompting it
                                   A Horizon Air employee empties coffee grounds into food waste containers provided by   to bring back in-flight meal service
                                   the Port of Portland.                                                                  as of October 1. USA3000’s first in-
                                                                                                                          flight magazine, Roam, also debuted

                                                                                                                                Airport Magazine | October/November 2006   11
up front
     USA 3000

                                                                                                            Aircraft operations have more than
                                                                                                            doubled, from 242,000 in 1990, to
                                                                                                            over 500,000 in 2005.
                                                                                                               The main terminal train station is
                                                                                                            being built on the airfield side, 60 feet
                                                                                                            below ground. It will span the entire
                                                                                                            length of the terminal—1,600 feet.
                                                                                                            When the final phase of the
                                                                                                            AeroTrain system is complete—
                                                                                                            designed as one continuous loop
                                                                                                            between the main terminal, the four
                                                                                                            midfield concourses and a future
                                                                                                            South Terminal—there will be 10 sta-
                                                                                                            tions, 63 vehicles and more than
                                                                                                            seven miles of track. The train will
                                                                                                            travel at 42 mph, with an estimated
                                                                                                            travel time between stations of 72
                                                                                                            seconds. Waiting time for a train will
                                                                                                            be 1.9 minutes.
                                                                                                               In order to minimize the disruption
                                                                                                            to current buildings and airport activ-
                                                                                                            ity, a new Austrian tunneling method
                                                                                                            is being employed that grinds the
                                                                                                            rock face in layers. Shotcrete is then
                                                                                                            applied immediately to reinforce the
                   USA3000 is promoting its service to St. Petersburg-Clearwater International with a
                                                                                                            exposed tunnel walls. The boring
                   “billboard” on the tail of an A320 aircraft.
                                                                                                            machine, known as a “mole,” bores
                                                                                                            through solid rock about 55 feet
                over the summer. The carrier                    construction program in response to         below grade. Pre-cast concrete wall-
                serves St. Petersburg-Clearwater                the significant growth the 12,000-          lining segments are put into place by
                International with 25 flights a week            acre airport has experienced in the         the mole as it moves forward. Width
                to seven destinations.                          past 16 years. In 2005, the airport         of the tunnels is 21 feet; depth is up
                                                                served 27 million passengers, com-          to 51 feet.
                                                                pared to 10.4 million in 1990.                 The AeroTrain system includes a
                Dulles Moves Ahead                                                                          maintenance facility, which is being

                                                                                                                                                         MWAA
                With AeroTrain
                Development
                Construction on the Washington
                Dulles      International     Airport
                AeroTrain system is moving apace,
                with a planned launch of the first
                phase of the project in 2009.
                   Designed to replace most of the
                mobile lounge “people movers” that
                have been used since the airport
                opened in 1962, AeroTrain is a rubber
                tired, automated train system that
                will run underground and connect
                the airport’s main terminal to all the
                concourses.
                   The train system is part of the
                Dulles Development expansion proj-               When completed, the Dulles AeroTrain system will include 10 stations, 63 vehicles and
                ect dubbed “D2,” a long-term capital             more than seven miles of track.            constructed southwest of runway 1R.

12              Airport Magazine | October/November 2006
it’s a comfort to know

    We’re quietly behind the scenes making airports more secure. You can rely on Honeywell’s
    security solutions to help solve core operating issues. We provide a single, expert source for
    your fire detection, environmental controls and security needs. Our systems can be found
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                    For more information, call 1-800-728-1187 or visit www.honeywell.com/homelandsecurity
                                                                  ©2006 Honeywell International Inc. All rights reserved.
up front

                                                                                                                                        SOUTHEASTERN AIRPORTS DISASTER OPERATIOINS GROUP
     It will accommodate 24 train cars
     inside the building, and an addition-
     al 20 cars in the yard, and will also
     house the train system’s operations
     control center.
        An additional part of the expansion
     is a new 9,500-foot runway, which
     will be the airport’s third parallel
     north/south runway. It is scheduled
     for completion in 2008. An environ-
     mental impact study has been com-
     pleted for a future fifth runway.
        Dulles Development “is a massive
     public-works project when taken in
     its totality,” commented James
     Bennett, A.A.E., president and CEO
     of the Metropolitan Washington
     Airports Authority. “We are con-
     structing a train system, building pas-
     senger facilities, building a new run-
     way and reconstructing the entire
     security screening area in our main
     terminal to improve service to our
     customers, make the passenger expe-         The SEADOG communications trailer provides computer work stations, wireless Internet
     rience much more efficient and to           capabilities and VHF radio communications that allow it to serve as a mobile command
     reduce the lines that crowd our ticket      center and temporary ATC tower.
     counter level.”
        In 2005, more than $450 million
                                                seven-kilowatt generator, air condi-           FDOT awarded the FAC a $9,000
     was spent on Dulles Development,
                                                tioning system, computer work sta-           grant to purchase the satellite com-
     employing 2,600 people in construc-
                                                tions, weather sensors and confer-           munications system and to fund
     tion-related jobs.
                                                ence area and VHF radio communica-           estimated operational costs associat-
                                                tion station capable of patching mul-        ed with activation and satellite sys-
                                                tiple aircraft frequencies and serving       tem utilization (air time). Several
     SEADOG Ready                               as a temporary tower.                        companies equally contributed their
     For Emergency                                 With the purchase of an Inmarsat          services and products to equip the
                                                Broadband Global Area Network                trailer, including the Southeast
     Communications                             (BGAN) system, the trailer has, in           Chapter of AAAE, which is arrang-
                                                addition to serving as a temporary           ing for $3,000 in additional comput-
     The Florida Airports Council (FAC)         working environment, the capability          er equipment.
     and the Southeastern Airports              of providing the following communi-
     Disaster Operations Group (SEADOG)         cation abilities without reliance on
     have joined forces to ensure that air-     area infrastructures: six phone lines        San Diego
     ports in their region have communi-        for voice or fax communication,
     cations in times of emergency. That        Internet access and e-mail at 464 kbps
                                                                                             Airport Offers
     communication comes in a 20-foot-          for computer workstations; wireless          Braille Screening
     long, tandem-axle trailer equipped to      Internet and e-mail within 500 yards
     provide a portable communications          of the trailer; cordless telephone abil-
                                                                                             Assistance Cards
     platform for airport operators when        ities and data streaming at 128 kbps
     normal communication channels are          for video, audio or file transfer.           San Diego International Airport
     down. The trailer, previously used in         The Inmarsat BGAN system oper-            reports it has become the first air-
     a NASA test program, was donated to        ates through a dedicated satellite           port in the nation to use Braille and
     Pensacola Regional Airport by the          launched in 2006 and has redundant           large-format text assistance cards to
     Florida Department of Transportation       receiving points in Georgia and              make the security screening process
     (FDOT) and Harris Corp.                    California. The trailer has a dedicated      at airport checkpoints easier for air-
       The trailer is a self-sufficient         phone number assigned for incoming           line passengers with hearing and/or
     mobile command center that houses a        calls or faxes.                              visual disabilities.

14   Airport Magazine | October/November 2006
The cards—with messages written        New Computer                           Station LLC, Austin-Bergstrom is the
in Braille and repeated in extra large                                           sixth airport nationwide to receive
font size—cover the 12 most fre-          Stations Help                          the stations.
quently asked questions at the securi-    Travelers Stay                            PowerPort stations have four walk-
ty screening checkpoints at San Diego                                            up computer stations and two laptop
International Airport. The assistance     Connected At                           stations. Customers can rent laptops
cards are available for use by TSA        Austin-Bergstrom                       that may be used anywhere inside the
screeners at all the airport’s security                                          airport. For Internet access, users
checkpoints.                                                                     must stay within 300 feet of the
   The cards were developed by the        PowerPort computer stations now        PowerPort station. Charging bays
San Diego County Regional Airport         offer passengers at Austin-Bergstrom   allow customers to leave their laptop,
Authority, which operates the air-        International Airport a new way to     cell phone, or other electronic items
port, with assistance from local TSA      stay connected and productive while    in a secure, locked bay while they are
staff. Proposed questions were then       traveling through the airport. The     being charged.
shared with several organizations         automated stations supply Internet        All major credit cards are accept-
that represent people with disabili-      access, laptop rentals, battery and    ed, and cash is accepted for the walk-
ties for input, including the             cell phone chargers (most cell phone   up computer stations only. Prices
American Association of the Deaf-         charger cords provided), USB ports     range from $2 for 10 minutes of walk-
Blind, the American Council of the        for uploading files, the ability to    up Internet access using your own
Blind,     the    California      State   download music, and free printing.     laptop to $2.50 for 10 minutes using a
Independent Living Council, the city      PowerPort computer stations are        PowerPort computer and $6.95 per
of San Diego Disability Services          located on the concourse across from   hour for a wireless laptop rental and
Program, the National Organization        Gate 6 and between Gates 15 and 17.    Internet use. A
on Disability and the San Diego           Owned and operated by Power
Center for the Blind.
   TSA has indicated to the airport
authority that use of the cards at San
Diego International may be a model
for similar programs at major airports
nationwide.
   “We are pleased to be at the fore-
front of providing innovative cus-
tomer service initiatives like this for
our guests with visual and/or hearing
disabilities,” said Thella Bowens,
president/CEO of the airport authori-
ty. “This program is in the same spir-
it of many other innovative programs
we’ve launched at San Diego
International Airport, including an
assistance animal and pet relief area,
a training guide for communicating
with people with disabilities, airport
familiarization tours, and more. It’s
another step forward in accomplish-
ing our goal of 100% accessibility for
all our customers.”
   The idea for the specialized assis-
tance cards was originally conceived
following the 2003 bi-annual confer-
ence of the American Association of
the Deaf-Blind, which was held in
San Diego.

                                                                                       Airport Magazine | October/November 2006   15
dedication

                                                                         Tom Suzuki

                                                A True Original
                      T
                             his issue of Airport Magazine is dedicated to         But Tom was much more than an art director to
                             Tom Suzuki, the founding art director of the       anyone who came in contact with him. He was a
                             publication who died a few weeks ago after         teacher of art and of life. His interests were endless,
                      a short illness. Thanks to Tom, our association pro-      as was his patience. Tom initiated me into the mag-
                      duced a magazine that, from day one, received             azine world and, I am sure, used a lot of that
                      many design awards and has been used as a stan-           patience teaching me the rules of magazine design.
                      dard for association publications. But, as usual,         But never, even at 4 a.m. before the first issue was
                      there is much more to the story than that.                to be sent to the printer and we were still making
                        In 1988, when AAAE decided to publish a                 changes, did Tom’s enthusiasm wane. In fact, I
                      bimonthly magazine, expectations were high.               think as the hour grew later, Tom got even more
                      AAAE wanted a first-class product, but our plan           philosophical about the important things in life —
                      was for it to be designed entirely on a computer,         like type fonts, for example. Perfection was infi-
                      thinking that it would be easier to produce.              nitely more important than sleep!
                        While that might not sound like a tall order, it           One of Tom’s strengths was that he made design
                      was in 1988. At that time, magazines were                 work for the reader. He never forgot that design
                      designed by hand, with only a few small pieces            should always enhance readability. And his disci-
                      produced using a computer. All the graphic design-        pline resulted in a magazine that was a joy to read.
                      ers I interviewed said a top-notch magazine could            The knowledge that Tom Suzuki shared with me
                      not be designed on a computer.                            and the Airport Magazine staff will never be forgot-
                        Enter Tom Suzuki. Among his long list of accom-         ten. But, more importantly, we will never forget the
                      plishments, Tom was the founding art director for         man himself. His chosen profession was art direc-
                      the highly acclaimed Psychology Today, and the            tor, but the way he lived his life was the true gift to
                      former art director at Time-Life Books. Tom               all who knew him. His keen intellect was paired
                      responded to our challenge with gusto, which was          with a passion for sharing his ideas and an almost
                      his approach to all things in life. Not once did he try   child-like excitement about the world around him.
                      to dissuade us from our mission. Instead, he proved          Thank you, Tom, for helping create Airport
                      the others wrong and created an elegant, well-            Magazine and for all you have done for us and our
                      designed publication produced entirely on a com-          readers over the years. You will be deeply missed
                      puter — and on time.                                      and never forgotten. A — Joan Lowden

16   Airport Magazine | October/November 2006
co                                               corporate outlook

                                       Dynamic Signage Leads The Way
                                               ynamic Signage is a subject that conjures up tion rich, and with the use of liquid crystal dis-

                                       D       many images and ideas in the minds of air- plays (LCD) or plasma video screens provide a
                                               port management. There are many aspects plethora of information in a graphical or visual
                                       to dynamic signage based on the solution it pro- nature, but are not effective in all locations or
                                       vides. There are many areas in and around airport other applications.
                                       terminals where directing, guiding and informing       These locations or applications are what I would
                                       travelers is challenging. Most airports have service refer to as decision-making points for the traveler.
                                       representative groups to handle just this aspect of For example, “Where do I park?” “Where do I go
                                       traveler assistance. In many cases legacy terminal for …?,” “Where is my airline drop-off and pickup
                                       design, subsequent renovations and the mix of new location?” Many of these questions need to be
                                       and old complicate wayfinding and providing answered well ahead of decision-making points on
                 By Dewayne Anderson

                                       timely information.                                  crowded roadways, at parking facility entrances or
                                         Several factors have created new needs and chal- exits, and curbside. Inside the terminal, this same
                                       lenges for traveler guid-                                                            information needs to
                                       ance and information.                                                                guide travelers to secu-
                                       One is the increased                                                                 rity screening, con-
                                       volume of travelers                Dynamic signage can be                            courses, airline gates,
                                       since September 11,                                                                  customs          inspection
                                       which has added con-              controlled via automated,                          counters, travel servic-
                                       gestion and delays to                                                                es and amenities.
                                       getting    where     one
                                                                        integrated AOIS systems or
                                                                                                                              Large and small air-
                                       needs to go. Changes in       through dedicated stand-alone                          ports      also support
                                       airline food services                                                                many airlines that oper-
                                       and security issues                       control systems.                           ate only on certain days
                                       require public spaces to                                                             of the week. And many
                                       accommodate travelers                                                                terminals have multiple
                                       during longer dwell                                                                  parking facilities collo-
                                       times and layovers. And the last and most signifi- cated near a terminal supporting a group of air-
                                       cant trend is the growing number of airline carriers lines. These are two other examples where LCDs or
                                       and how airports serve the traveling public with a Plasma screens are not effective and cannot
                                       broader range of choices.                            address outdoor locations or larger groups.
                                         The traditional use of Flight Information Display    Dynamic signage can provide many useful pur-
                                       Systems (FIDS) has evolved over the last five years poses. It can guide and direct travelers with sta-
                                       to incorporate new technology and capabilities. tus, promotional, emergency and airline directory
                                       We now see many flat-panel video screens in vari- listings that inform travelers where to go, and
                                       ous locations at gates and holding areas that pro- when and how to proceed. Dynamic signage can
                                       vide far more information than basic be controlled via automated, integrated AOIS sys-
                                       arrival/departure times and locations. New multi- tems or through dedicated stand-alone control
                                       user FIDS (MUFIDS) are no longer provided exclu- systems. Light emitting diode-based dynamic sig-
                                       sively by the airlines and require airports to pro- nage can be incorporated into or combined with
                                       vide this information for all carriers. In addition, static signage providing a flexible and effective
                                       new content such as local weather, visual paging tool to communicate with the traveler. A
                                       and advertising have become an integral add-on
                                       to flight information. These systems are informa- DeWayne Anderson is Aviation Market Manager for Daktranic.

18   Airport Magazine | October/November 2006
ms                                                market scan
                                                                                                                           Data provided by OAG Worldwide
                                                                                                                            Experts in global travel content
                                                                                                                                www.oagdata.com

     Top 25 Departure Airports Worldwide
     November 2001 vs November 2006

     Ranked by Available Seats
                                                                            Available Seats                          Available Flights
                                                  Rank Rank
         Airport                                  2006 2001   Nov. 2001       Nov. 2006       Variance   Nov. 2001     Nov. 2006         Variance

       Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International    1    1      4,700,701       4,578,330       -3%         35,890         39,819            11%

       Chicago O’Hare International                2    2      4,416,959        3,933,411      -11%        38,552         37,934            -2%

       London Heathrow                             3    4      3,640,190       3,719,926        2%         18,996         19,517             3%

       Los Angeles International                   4    3      3,802,521       3,192,623       -16%        27,589         23,981           -13%

       Tokyo Haneda                                5    6      3,048,183       3,061,486        0%         10,841         12,947            19%

       Dallas/Fort Worth International             6    5      3,416,892       3,041,035       -11%        31,332         27,224           -13%

       Paris Charles de Gaulle                     7    7      2,843,248       3,024,240        6%         19,676         19,879             1%

       Frankfurt International                     8    8      2,780,775       2,902,739        4%         17,055         18,365             8%

       Madrid Barajas                              9    10     2,241,883       2,550,300       14%         15,261         17,705            16%

       Hong Kong International                    10    18     1,966,496       2,474,080       26%         7,176           9,587            34%

       Bangkok International                      11    19     1,951,472       2,454,420       26%         7,586          10,851            43%

       Denver International                       12    13     2,138,771       2,409,091       13%         18,365         23,365            27%

       Phoenix Sky Harbor International           13    11     2,204,364       2,376,122        8%         17,569         18,937             8%

       Las Vegas McCarran International           14    20     1,946,586       2,348,946       21%         13,496         16,652            23%

       New York J F Kennedy International         15    24     1,788,436       2,347,853       31%         10,812         16,300            51%

       Amsterdam                                  16    16     2,013,734       2,140,940        6%         16,289         16,015            -2%

       Houston George Bush Intercontinental       17    17     2,006,627       2,132,003        6%         18,283         23,247            27%

       Singapore Changi                           18    23     1,812,091       2,092,002       15%         6,826           8,351            22%

       Detroit Wayne County                       19    9      2,244,091       2,016,846       -10%        20,433         19,062            -7%

       Tokyo Narita                               20    33     1,530,457       1,868,118       22%         4,520           6,675            48%

       Newark Liberty International               21    15     2,099,079       1,866,748       -11%        17,644         16,643            -6%

       Munich International                       22    36     1,492,669       1,864,629       25%         13,627         16,153            19%

       Minneapolis International                  23    14     2,130,475       1,863,346       -13%        18,905         17,112            -9%

       Philadelphia International                 24    25     1,732,003       1,835,295        6%         16,598         18,708            13%

       Beijing Capital                            25    37     1,443,134       1,777,596       23%         7,061           8,909            26%

       Totals                                                  61,391,837      63,872,125       4%        430,382        463,938             8%

                                                                                                         source: OAG MAX (www.oagmax.com)
20   Airport Magazine | October/November 2006
Introducing…the new,
             upgraded ANTN Digicast!
                 www.antndigicast.com
• On-line Training accessible any time from any Internet connec-
  tion—at your desk, at home, and on the road

• On-Demand Library with thousands of hours of training videos

• Automatic logging/tracking of employee training credits
  through the Airport Training and Safety Institute (ATSI)

• A.A.E.’s can earn CEU Credits

• More features, easier access, no equipment to buy and at the
  same monthly rates

24-hour training includes:
Airports A-Z, ARFF, SIDA, HR, Aviation News Today, Part 139,
Legislative Updates, Movement and Non-Movement Area Driver
Training, and much more

For more information, contact Joan Lowden
at (703)824-0500, Ext. 137, e-mail
joan.lowden@aaae.org or Pat Raker at
Ext. 125, pat.raker@aaae.org
signage

                                                     BY CLIFTON STROUD
                                                                EDITOR

SIGNAGE
IN THE DIGITAL AGE
                                                                                           clear: the same digital screen tech-
      AESTHETICS, EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS                                                 nology making its presence known in
                                                                                           the home consumer market, in the
      AND ADVERTISING REVENUE CAN ALL PLAY                                                 form of crystal-clear, flat-screen tele-
                                                                                           visions, is quickly establishing a
      A PART IN IMPLEMENTING NEW SIGNAGE.                                                  solid presence in the world’s airports.
                                                                                              In some ways, the choices for air-
      AND WHAT ABOUT PLASMA, LCD AND                                                       ports are more strictly defined
                                                                                           because of the specialized require-
      LED TECHNOLOGY?                                                                      ments. With the possible exception of
                                                                                           some of the smaller signs in baggage-
                                                                                           claim areas and curbside pickup and

     A
                          irport language is     only enact semioticised territories but   drop-off areas, most signs must be rel-
                          a spectacle, an        also directly intervene into the mate-    atively large, easily readable from dis-
                          interface        for   rial machinic processes of traveling.”    tances as great as 1,000 feet, easily
                          social relations       So wrote Gene Fuller in his research      updated and durable enough to run
                          between humans         paper, “The Arrow—Directional             24/7. Colors come into play, too.
                          and      machines.     Semiotics: Wayfinding in Transit.”        More than eight percent of the male
                          Signage intensi-          That’s all well and good—and           population is color blind and has dif-
     fies social relations—reconfiguring         maybe a bit too esoteric—but when it      ficulty distinguishing between red
     territories of geophysical/architectur-     comes to installing airport Flight        and green. A smaller percentage of
     al space into territories of recognition    Information and Display Systems           men suffer from a deficiency in per-
     that speak to a productive power of         (FIDS) and directional signs—either       ceiving the difference between blue
     language that is fundamentally non-         as part of an airport terminal renova-    and yellow. Less than one percent of
     representational.       Airports     are    tion or a new terminal construction       women suffer from any form of color
     walked, the signs don’t accompany or        project—the decision for airport man-     blindness. It’s not an issue that one
     reflect upon the airport, they are          agers may be succinctly summarized        might expect to deal with in terms of
     machined into it. The traveler navi-        as this: how to get the most sharp,       designing signs—until you realize
     gates through a highly textually            visible and readable displays at a rea-   that red is often associated with emer-
     mediated space where the signs not          sonable cost. But one thing seems         gency notification—a real possibility

22   Airport Magazine | October/November 2006
TORONTO’S PEARSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

                                                                                                                               TORONTO’S PEARSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Recent Trans-Lux installations at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport include LED displays in the baggage claim area and arrivals and departures.

                                                                                       Trans-Lux has spent the last three     also not designed to display a lot
                                                                                    years installing new signs at Miami       of information, such as you need with
                                                                                    International Airport as part of a con-   an airport flight information display.
                                                                                    course expansion project. Coyne             “With LED you can use large, 2.1-
                                                                                    described the signs, installed in the     inch characters and passengers can
                                                                                    ticket-counter areas, international       see the signs from a distance,”
                                                                                    arrival terminal, concourses, curb        said Coyne.
                                                                                    displays and baggage-claim areas, as        The Greater Toronto Airport
                                                                                    “high-bright, amber, LED displays.”       Authority (GTAA) recently pur-
                                                                                       “White is better for visibility but    chased nine full-color, LED direc-
                                                                                    it’s too expensive,” added Coyne,         tional signs for Toronto’s Pearson
                                                                                    “and red and green are not viewable       International Airport. They wanted
                                                                                    by color-blind people.”                   color signs in part because the air-
                                          in our security conscious post-9/11          Coyne detailed the key advantages      lines like to see their logos accurate-
                                          environment. Color hue, saturation        of LED, or light-emitting diode, signs.   ly displayed in full color next to
                                          and brightness are also important.        “The life expectancy of an LED sign is    their flight arrival and departure
                                                                                    about 100,000 hours, or about 7.5         information. Coyne qualified the
                                          HIGH STAKES                               years if the sign is on 24/7. Plasma      term “full color.”
                                          Gene Coyne is vice president of           has a much shorter life expectancy          “Our RGB [red-green-blue] dis-
                                          sales with Trans-Lux corporation, a       and certain images will eventually        play uses 64 colors,” he said, “and a
                                          major manufacturer of displays not        burn on to the screen, much as            Sony Jumbotron—used mostly for
                                          only for airports but also for casinos,   images can be burned on to the older      video—uses 16 million colors or
                                          television studios and the New York       computer CRT monitors.”                   shades. If you’re not doing video,
                                          Stock Exchange—harsh, unforgiving            Although Trans-Lux sells plasma        you don’t need that many colors.”
                                          environments.                             and LCD (liquid-crystal displays),          The Toronto signs are bright
                                            “We’re used to dealing in an air-       Coyne makes it clear that they are        enough to be “sunlight survivable,”
                                          port environment where there is too       designed for other applications such      according to Coyne, and to contrast
                                          much at stake for screens to go           as videos, and “you must be right on      with the front of the new terminal,
                                          wrong,” said Coyne.                       top of them to read them. They are        which is all glass.

                                                                                                                                                                         Airport Magazine | October/November 2006   23
signage

       When Toronto was considering the           Krum has had these scrolling signs       which is that, additional funds—
     Trans-Lux display purchase and             installed throughout the entire build-     other than airport funds—can often
     asked about reliability, Coyne told        ing, and added that it makes the ter-      be found to install these displays.
     them that the same signs had been          minal building much more attractive.           He is a big believer in LCD tech-
     installed at Miami for more than two       “We took down a lot of nice things to      nology. “LCD is really establishing
     years and there had not been one           make space for this sign,” he said. It’s   itself as a technology leader in the
     service call. “They were impressed,”       essentially a turn-key operation;          display market and will be the domi-
     he added.                                  Interspace Airport Advertising han-        nant player for some time,” Young
       The signs are slated to be installed     dles all the advertising sales and pro-    stated. He maintains that LED tech-
     by year-end. Coyne pointed out an          duction, and the airport in turn           nology is best for outdoor use because
     additional advantage with Trans-           receives 30 percent of the gross rev-      it is fully sunlight readable, whereas
     Lux products: the software platform        enue generated. These signs have also      LCD works best for inside, smaller
     is the same for both indoor and out-       been used in shopping malls and            venues. NEC measures the lifespan of
     door displays.                             have been popular in airports in           an LCD display by a half-life of
                                                Europe for some time.                      60,000 hours—meaning that after that
     REVENUE GENERATION                                                                    period the display will generate half
     In addition to the practical aspects of    A HOLISTIC APPROACH                        of its original brightness—assuming it
     signage, generating advertising rev-       NEC Unified Solutions, long one of the     is running 24/7. NEC will soon intro-
     enue for the airport plays a key role      leaders in visual display technology in    duce a 57-inch LCD display.
     in certain signs. Frederick Krum, air-     the FIDS market, has recently installed       “Plasma is going the way of the
     port director of the Akron-Canton          LED displays at Denver International,      dodo,” emphasized Young. “You just
     Regional Airport, described how a          Orlando International and Houston          can’t get away from the burn factor.”
     new scrolling-type of color, backlit       Intecontinental airports. The company         NEC also now offers touchscreen
     sign has not only improved the aes-        takes “a holistic approach” to airport     systems that allow the user to choose
     thetics of the atrium in the main ter-     signage, said Russell Young, solutions     whichever language they need, some-
     minal building but has also generated      manager for NEC.                           thing extremely useful in an interna-
     revenue for the airport.                      “Airport managers are looking for a     tional airport environment.
        “The movement of the display            total solution approach to messag-
     attracts the eye and provides better       ing,” stated Young, who said that gen-     PLASMA CONSENSUS
     visibility for the ads, making it a win-   erating advertising revenue is impor-      Adaptive Micro Systems has tradi-
     win situation for everyone,” he said.      tant, as is emergency communica-           tionally constructed dynamic LED
     A translucent sheet with the ad            tions. “Signs give you another medi-       signs that are used more for outdoor
     scrolls down and then is replaced by       um to speak to people who might            applications such as roadside and
     another sheet. “It’s nice and sharp        have headphones on or may be deaf.         parking areas, but it also makes dis-
     from any angle,” added Krum.               Every display in the airport can be        plays for the ramp, baggage claim
        The lack of sharpness from side         focused on emergency communica-            areas     and   flight   information.
     angles—and the image burn men-             tions if the need arises.” Young           Adaptive has completed recent park-
     tioned by Trans-Lux’s Coyne—are fre-       stressed another important point           ing area and TSA directional sign
     quently cited as major issues with         about emergency communications,            installations at Tampa International,
     plasma screens.

                       A WALL OF LIGHT
      UK-based Chamaeleon Technologies installed a color-changing LED display for the “Lightwave Wall,” situated
      outside Terminal 3 at London’s Heathrow Airport. According to LED Magazine, the Lightwave Wall is owned by
      Paris-based outdoor advertising contractor JC Decaux and was designed and constructed in Tilbury, Essex by
      Fab Signs. The wall is designed to change color and harmonize with the different ads. “The primary advertising
      facia, and the adjacent curved line of towers carrying the advertiser’s logo, are washed with color using LED
      fixtures,” said Chamaelon. The structure is stainless steel, which, according to Chamaelon can be difficult to
      light. The lighting had to be strong enough to compete at night with a parking lot, street lights and a gas sta-
      tion, as well as car headlights.

24   Airport Magazine | October/November 2006
TORONTO’S PEARSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

                                             LED displays at the customs arrival area in Toronto demonstrate GraphixWall technology employed by Trans-Lux.

                                                                                                                            General Mitchell International in
   TORONTO’S PEARSON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

                                                                                                                            Milwaukee and Piedmont Triad
                                                                                                                            International airport in Greensboro,
                                                                                                                            North Carolina.
                                                                                                                              “We’re coming out with some mod-
                                                                                                                            ular products soon—second quarter
                                                                                                                            of next year—that are designed more
                                                                                                                            for the indoor market,” said Greg
                                                                                                                            Byzewski, product manager for the
                                                                                                                            company. These screens will also
                                                                                                                            employ LED technology.
                                                                                                                              Take Byzewski’s comments and
                                                                                                                            those of others and you start to get a
                                                                                                                            consensus on the viability of plasma
                                                                                                                            screens. “Although each technology
                                                                                                                            has its place, a big plasma screen is
                                                                                                                            not designed to run for a long period
                                                                                                                            of time like an LED screen is,” he
                                                                                                                            said. “Also, with plasma the image
                                                                                                                            can be burned in, which won’t
                                                                                                                            continued on pg 28

                                                                                                                              LED displays are bright, can be seen
                                                                                                                              from quite a distance and will run
                                                                                                                              24/7 for years without a problem.

                                                                                                                                    Airport Magazine | October/November 2006   25
SHOWING THE WAY IN SAN JOSE

                                                                           MINETA SAN JOSE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
   As part of a $1.5 billion terminal replacement and enhancement
project, Mineta San Jose International Airport will replace all sig-
nage within the next four years. The project will target the airport’s
new Terminal B, and the Terminal A expansion, along with a new
rental car facility, including garages and roadways. As a result, signs
as old as 20 years will be replaced, according to Tom Esch, head of
the airport’s architectural and mapping section.
   The project illustrates the challenges faced by today’s airport
managers to make signs more visible and informative, often with-
in an environment dominated by clutter from advertising, graphics
and artwork.
   “All of the signs must comply with a single master plan. They
have to be designed with a consistent look in terms of text, fonts,
colors and terminology,” Esch remarked. “This includes universal-
ly accepted symbols and colors, factoring in placement, and how           for computer-controlled dynamic signs, which can easily be mod-
the signs interact with other graphic elements as well.”                  ified to present different messages, along with emergency com-
   At Mineta, signage guidelines were developed for specific              munications. This would include multi-user flight data, and bag-
areas—terminals, curbside and ground transportation areas, as             gage information display systems.
well as parking facilities and roads. Every sign has to meet detailed        “The selections are being driven by cost and message-display
size, graphic and illumination standards based on their position-         objectives,” he explained. “All of the dynamic signs will have infor-
ing—overhead, wall or floor-mounted.                                      mation updating capability, through the work of our Airport
   Other considerations include overall acquisition and life cycle        Technology Services Group. This will be especially important as
costs. “The signs must be built, maintained and replaced at the           the airport moves toward a common use environment.”
lowest possible costs. This is determined through what we call a             Dynamic signs also present advertising opportunities, as
value engineering process,” said Esch.                                    Esch noted.
   According to Esch, the airport is considering the use of LED              “Our policy is that airport-owned units may be used to display
(light emitting diode) and LCD (liquid crystal display) technology        advertisements or even artwork when they are not being used to
                                                                                                                       provide information, due to low flight activ-
                                                                                                                       ity periods, for example,” he said. “Still, we
                                                                                                                       realize that the purpose of a dynamic sign is
                                                                                                                       to display specific information for the air-
                                                                                                                       port user, and there is a limit to inundating
                                                                                                                       our customers with advertisements.”
                                                                                                                          Along this line, Esch pointed out that
                                                                                                                       dynamic signs could also be configured to
                                                                                                                       display what is in a specific area, such as a
                                                                                                                       food court or retail shop complex. “We are
                                                                                                                       going to be rebuilding the food court in
                                                                                                                       Terminal A, and we are working with the
                                                                                                                       concessionaires on the signage that will
                                                                                                                       draw people there,” he said. “This is part of
                                                                                                                       a big component with signage: How do we
                                                                                                                       get people to explore what’s in the airport
                                                                                                                       while waiting for a departing or arriving
                                                                                                                       flight?” A — Paul Seidenman

                                                                                                                   continued from pg 25
                                                                                                                   happen with LED. We’re seeing a small
                                                                                                                   trend in passengers commenting that plas-
                                                                                                                   ma screens don’t look that good.”

                                                                                                                     In sum, planning for new airport signage
                                                                                                                   requires careful consideration of airport inte-
                                                                                                                   rior and exterior design aesthetics, advertis-
                                                                                                                   ing revenue and technology. Signs are some-
                                                                                                                   thing that most people really don’t give much
                                                                                                                   thought to (unless they are lost) but that’s
                                                                                                                   only because of all the careful consideration
                                                                                                                   that goes into them in the first place. A

28    Airport Magazine | October/November 2006
general aviation                       ga
NASAO Works To Untangle Wildlife And Airports
       he National Association of State Aviation

T

                                                                                                                    by John Croft - Contributing Writer
                                                        more often because of the longstanding MOU with
       Officials (NASAO) in early October signed        the FAA, said USDA biologist Mike Begier. In total,
       an agreement with the U.S. Department of         USDA assisted 674 airports last year, up from just
Agriculture (USDA) that could help general avia-        42 in 1990. Wildlife Services also maintains the
tion airports counter a growing threat: wildlife and    FAA’s wildlife strike database (http://wildlife-miti-
aircraft occupying the same space at the same time      gation.tc.faa.gov/public_html/) and writes a yearly
on or near an airport.                                  report on the results.
   According to the USDA, there were more than             Based on legal reviews, Dolbeer said airport oper-
7,000 wildlife strikes in the U.S. last year, includ-   ators have to exercise “due diligence in managing
ing about 700 strikes at general aviation airports,     wildlife hazards to avoid potentially serious liabil-
costing civil and military aviation more than $650      ity issues.” That means making an assessment of
million in damages. What’s worse, Richard A.            the situation and coming up with risk reduction
Dolbeer, the National Coordinator of the USDA’s         strategies that may include capturing, relocating or
Airport Safety and Assistance Program, estimates        destroying the animals, actions that may require
that only 20 percent of strikes are reported. He says   federal permits. Wildlife Services has about 300
the growth in almost all large bird species and deer    employees nationwide trained to work with air-
is related to “highly successful” wildlife conserva-    ports in their local areas. The professional biolo-
tion programs, and airports often represent a large     gists take a three-day FAA-approved training
“green” area in an otherwise developing landscape.      course that familiarizes them with working on air-
“Airports are a natural magnet for wildlife to come     ports. Their advice could sometimes be as simple
to,” he says.                                           as fixing a fence, Dolbeer points out, but it could
   A prime example is the exploding population of       also be more extensive. In those cases, the airport
non-migratory Canada Geese in the U.S. Dolbeer          generally pays for the effort through a cooperative
says the number increased from one million in           service agreement with the USDA. Either way, ini-
1990 to 3.5 million this year. A recent run-in with     tial consultations are free, he adds.
the large birds occurred Sunday, October 1, when           Though the USDA has been developing relation-
according to Dolbeer, a Gulfstream V collided with      ships with state-level aviation departments in
16 Canada Geese just before landing at the Martin       recent years, including programs with North
State Airport, a GA reliever airport north of           Carolina, Oregon, Hawaii and Iowa, other states
Baltimore, destroying one of its two turbofan           and individual airports may not be aware of the
engines. The aircraft landed safely.                    expertise available, a problem NASAO is aiming to
   The memorandum of understanding, which mir-          fix with the MOU. “There are many times when air-
rors an agreement the USDA’s Animal Services            ports may be working on these issues,” said Rich
division has had with the Federal Aviation              Turner, director of the Vermont Bureau of Aviation
Administration since 1989, aims to give more gen-       and past president of NASAO, “and without
eral aviation airports access to USDA advice, the       USDA’s help, they may find that it costs them more
lead federal program for managing wildlife issues.      time and money down the road.”
Last year, 375 Part 139 airports requested assis-          Turner, who signed the MOU with USDA in early
tance, ranging from technical advice to wildlife        October, says information will be available either on
removal programs, from USDA’s Wildlife Services         NASAO’s website, at www.nasao.org, or on the
experts, but only 213 general aviation airports did     USDA’s       wildlife     damage      website,      at
the same. Part 139 airports in part make contact        www.aphis.usda.gov/subjects/wildlife_damage. A

                                                                                           Airport Magazine | October/November 2006                       29
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