Displays in airports

Steve Montgomery looks at the different applications for displays at airports, from flight information systems to apron training facilities.

The old ‘flap-panel’ destination displays are now almost never encountered in airports as they are upgraded en-masse to more versatile and reliable LCD panels to display flight information. In the same way, many of the internal billboards and paper- and transparency-based advertising screens are being replaced by large LED displays, video walls and networks of LCD panels.

It is unsurprising; airports are very busy locations: the world’s busiest terminal (in terms of passenger numbers), Atlanta, Georgia, handled over 93 million passengers in 2013, a massive captive audience requiring information, physical guidance and commercial services. Electronic displays can be used for multiple purposes and offer considerable advantages over single, fixed purpose displays.

In addition to the crucial airport information infrastructure, modern airports are full of retail concessions competing for both business and leisure passengers’ attention: restaurants, shops, currency services. With some airports generating over 70% of their revenues from commercial operations; advertising through digital signage can effectively be used to drive retail sales within the terminal. The vast size of airports means that complex distribution networks are required for data.

Limited access to screens in inaccessible locations instils the need for professional, highly reliable equipment. The paramount requirement for the flight information display system in an airport is accuracy of information and reliability of display. If the system fails, the airport is highly unlikely to be able to function efficiently for any period of time as passengers rely on the displays for gate and boarding information. As many airports operate on a 24 hour per day basis, the displays typically used above check-in desks, for wayfinding, in departure lounges, at gates and within departure and arrival halls must be rated to the highest level of operation and must remain legible despite displaying static images over extended periods of time.

According to Richard Wilks, aviation business development manager EMEA at NEC Display Solutions Europe: “Displays used in airport flight information display systems must be designed for long term operation. This means they should consist of ‘A’ grade panels in cases that have been sealed for dust ingress and employ cooling technology to maintain optimum operating temperature and uniformity. Light within the airport concourse varies during the course of the day so each display should have its own LED backlighting technology and ambient light sensors that automatically adjust required brightness so the screen is readable at all times and help reduce power consumption and save costs. Thin bezels help create more attractive display groupings, particularly in large multi-panel departure and arrivals boards, whilst slim depth displays are ideal to fit into existing cabinets and back-to-back use.”

Different approaches are taken to distribute and display data on screens situated around airports. One is to provide digital signage solutions based around discrete media players connected through wired or Wi-Fi links to the digital signage controller. The Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) provides airports and media owners with a single platform that allows the airport to maintain one OS image for any display in the airport, reducing time to manage the display estate and minimising inventory.

Digital signage display data can also be transmitted throughout an airport concourse by means of an IPTV distribution system. Aeropuertos Espanoles y Navegacion Aerea (Aena) adopted the Exterity IPTV system to distribute content via the LAN at several Spanish airports. Along with the digital signage content, DTT services are streamed to AvediaPlayer receivers mounted alongside the LCD screens throughout the terminals. “The essential departures and arrivals information system was optimized and the commercial opportunities for shops, restaurants and bars within the airport improved as they were able to promote themselves by offering commercial TV, scheduled play TV channels and promotional messages. Access to channels can be controlled locally by viewers using remote controls or can be controlled from a central management point.” says Colin Farquhar, founder & CEO.

Keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) extenders and matrix switches are invaluable to airport operations in a variety of areas. “IHSE KVM equipment is used at Frankfurt airport to distribute data to operator workstations in the airside coordination and data centre which provides analysis, processing and coordination of central flight information for ground and airport surface traffic control and in the apron control training simulator where virtual, complex images are shown on monitors and a curved multi-projection screen to simulate both apron control centres,” says Markus Drautz, sales director of IHSE. “At Jersey airport, operator displays and consoles at the top of the control towers are separated from the large, noisy and heat-generating computers located at the base of the towers and interconnected over KVM draco extenders, whilst at Barcelona the airport management centre operators work at workstations remotely connected to computers located over 50 metres away in a data centre.”

One of the most impressive airport videowall installations can be found at Vienna airport. This is an interactive art installation designed for the new terminal at Vienna International Airport by the Ars Electronica Futurelab. ZeitRaum consists of a series of stations that accompany departing passengers on their way to their gates. Travellers’ initial encounter with ZeitRaum is in the check-in area, where an imposing wall of 78, 46“ NEC monitor screens forms a wall 5 metres high, straddling the entrances leading to the security hall.

A further series of ten more artworks accompany passengers as they make their way along the concourse to the gates, each artwork comprising 12 NEC public display panels, again using 46“ public displays. These displays include sensors that respond to viewers, allowing interaction between passengers and display, further enhancing their appeal and offering greater opportunities for creative design. Again, IHSE Draco extenders are used to distribute video content to the displays from video processing computers located up to 800 metres away, over copper and fibre connections.

The Mobile Flight Information Display from Parity Aviation is a mobile, completely wireless flight information display podium that can be deployed quickly in most indoor locations. Using battery power and Wi-Fi communication the MFID can be used to provide passengers with information in the event of main system disruption or temporary circumstances. As it is compatible with leading flight information displays FIDS software information can quickly and easily be made available to passengers without the need to deploy staff on the ground to undertake the task.

New technologies are evolving and many are entering the airport sector. Near Field Communication technology (NFC) is likely to become more available in airports as the NFC Forum and IATA have recently developed a reference guide for air travel which provides details about implementation of NFC in this environment. Amongst other applications, it can be used for: reading of boarding passes on mobile devices; “tap-and-go” access to lounges; access for staff to secure areas via their mobile devices; baggage identification and tracking; as well as well-established payment applications for parking and purchases in airport shops and on board the aircraft.

Useful links:

NEC Displays – Airport Solutions

Published on: 06/05/2014