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#AVisLIFE: The Airport Application

I spend a decent amount of time in airports and I can confidently share that there are two things that can be found at every airport in the world: a “port to air travel” and audiovisual installations. Ask any member of the rAVe team, they will share that I am like a kid in a candy store when traveling: the hustle and bustle, the inter-continent connectivity and the (what is pretty close to seamless) operation.

I sit in Terminal 4 of JFK on my way to the AV event/announcement of July 2018 heard around the world (just a week early): the ISE relocation press event. From my perch in a chair on an upper level, I can look out to see the tarmac and the air traffic control tower.

The air traffic control tower: Let us all agree that there is probably some sort of control room signage solution, maybe a couple of desks, easily some personal displays/monitors. But unless you are way cooler than I am, the world (I) will never know what is truly in an air traffic control tower.

The terminal: As the plane lands, the flight attendant shares, “Please be sure to check airport monitors as there may have been a last minute gate change,” and most of us are like, “Did you know your airline has a mobile app?” But there is seemingly always a gaggle of travelers enjoying the (relatively static) content being shared on the digital signage solution at a height comfortable for viewing without too much squinting thanks to the paired mounting solution.

The terminal: JFK needs some sort of inside-terminal-4 tram. There is an AV installation opportunity there.

The traffic: There are plenty of digital and analog display systems that are directing traffic (and when I say traffic I mean aircraft movement, ground crew movement, passenger movement, gate agent movement, go go gadget golf cart movement, etc). There must be a pretty damn powerful media player solution assisting with all of that information and signal conversion.

My laptop: The always present three words that we often take for granted are “Free Airport Wifi.” I bet a network systems integrator from our industry installed the network that I am currently using to write this article.

To the traveler, every AV application in an airport is just there to make it easy for them to navigate spaces that can sometimes take 30 minutes to walk from one end to the other (read: ATL). But to the AV integrator, manufacturer, press member (me) or any other AVtweep, the recognition of the strategy present in airport solutions is cool (remember, #AVisLIFE). And the scale is what blows me away.

Maybe you haven’t noticed AV in airports like I do or maybe you are thinking “why is this guy telling us all about something so painfully obvious.” But for either reaction, I bet the next time you are in an airport, you’ll think “yeah, Jacob was right; AV is here just like everywhere else. #AVisLIFE.”

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