Welcome to the November issue of the Metropolitan Airport News. Although we are officially in snow season at the airports, I am still enjoying all the beautiful Fall season has to offer. As I heard in a few meetings regarding the snow season, most airport stakeholders hope for a mild winter like last year; it’s rare to have a mild winter two years in a row, but you never know. No matter what Mother Nature gives us, everyone is prepared to deal with the worst while we hope for the best. I’m sure the topic of our feature this month, Technology at Airports, plays a significant role in forecasting and modeling the type of weather that could be coming our way.
This month’s feature focuses on technology and artificial intelligence and how these tools are used at our airports to keep operations and customer satisfaction trending in a positive direction. There is so much that goes into airport operations, and weather is just one component of the many unpredictable variables we deal with on a minute-to-minute and hour-to-hour basis at the airports. The more we know about how all the connected parts interact, the better we will be able to respond when something goes wrong and needs attention.
Flight delays are the most straightforward example because we all know the chain reaction a flight delay causes. The downstream impact is intense and touches almost everything and everyone at the departing airport, the arriving airport, and even outside the airport.
But what caused the flight to be delayed? If that could have been identified earlier, even anticipated, it could have been resolved to avoid the series of time-wasting events we are all too familiar with. It would be a game changer for the airports, airlines, staff, passengers, and all the ancillary airport service providers.
As you contemplate the complexity of airport operations, I hope you are taking time to network and socialize with your colleagues within the airport community. While technology is an essential resource, it can’t yet replace a solid professional network of people like the one we have here in our Airport Community. A phone call to a colleague or a conversation at an airport gathering goes a long way in helping to keep our airports running.
We are coming up in the holiday season, where parties, galas, and luncheons are in full swing. Don’t miss an opportunity to grow your airport network; Metropolitan Airport News provides the most comprehensive listing of local airport and aviation events available anywhere.
If you have any events you would like to promote, let us know. We’re happy to share them with the airport community.
