As global air passenger traffic is forecast to hit 10.2 billion in 2026, a 3.9 percent year-on-year increase, investments have been pouring in to improve airport infrastructure and operational efficiency and use artificial intelligence to achieve it. Working with data released by Airport Council International, a irports are relying on the increasing use of AI to embrace the rise in demand. The use of AI-powered analytics to anticipate congestion at security, immigration and boarding points is also helping to prevent delays. Resources are being allocated to shift from reactive crowd management to predictive operations. AI-powered baggage optimisation tools and biometric processing - which would allow passengers to walk through immigration without the need to present a physical passport - are also gaining traction as airports seek to improve passenger experience while maintaining operational efficiency.

The idea of hurtling down a vacuum tube in a levitating pod at speeds of over 670 miles an hour may sound like the plot of the latest science fiction blockbuster, but it could soon become a reality. Virgin Hyperloop is developing the futuristic technology, which it claims could transform the way we travel. At the end of last year, the company demonstrated the technology in action, transporting two brave participants for the first time. Now, the tech giant has shared a step-by-step video of the passenger experience on board its Hyperloop system, all the way from arriving at the portal, to taking off on board a hyperloop pod. 'Showing the passenger experience of Virgin Hyperloop is a glimpse of the future, following the success three months ago when people rode in a hyperloop pod for the first time,' said Sultan Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Virgin Hyperloop and Group Chairman and CEO of DP World.

"We're seeing a lot of pressure in today's market as passenger expectations continue to grow and this is making airlines think differently about the passenger experience, which must become personal, highly engaging and seamless across their travel journey", says Rob Ranieri, VP, Travel & Transportation Industries at IBM. Aegean, the Greek airline company and Star Alliance member, is using IBM's public cloud and artificial intelligence programs to "transform its internal business processes" as it seeks to improve its customer experience. This agreement builds on a previous multi-year agreement for the implementation of core applications and the delivery of IBM Cloud Hosting Services to help accelerate the airline's digital transformation strategy. "We feel confident that IBM is the strategic provider that will support our determination and willingness to innovate and achieve excellence at both an organizational and business process level," said Aegean Chief Information Officer Aristeidis Kamvysis. "By utilizing IBM's most innovative technologies, such as cloud and AI, proven industry expertise and strong corporate culture, we will continue to provide even greater value for our customers, personnel and shareholders." IBM's tech will cover both Aegean, and its subsidiary, Olympic Air.

To someone who works in innovation, it's very reassuring to look at the results in this year's SITA Air Transport IT Insights survey. It shows that airlines and airports are both highly engaged in exploring emerging technologies. Priorities may differ slightly between them, but overridingly it's clear that they're both completely focused on automating and streamlining the journey for passengers. This is an exciting reveal, and it bodes well for the future experience of passengers. The survey shows that when it comes to new technology, the number one focus for investment by airlines continues to be Artificial Intelligence (AI).

In late September, Beijing unveiled to the world Daxing, a glimmering $11 billion airport showcasing technologies such as robots and facial recognition scanners that many other airports worldwide are either adopting or are now considering. Daxing fits the description of what experts hail as a "smart airport." Just as a smart home is where internet-connected devices control functions like security and thermostats, smart airports use cloud-based technologies to simplify and improve services. Of course, many of the nearly 4,000 scheduled service airports across the world are still embarrassingly antiquated. The good news for aviation is that more facilities are investing, finally, to better serve airlines, suppliers, and travelers. This year, airports worldwide will spend $11.8 billion -- 68 percent more than the level three years ago -- on information technology, according to an estimate published this month by SITA (Société Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques, an airline-owned tech provider). A few trends are driving the rise of smart airports. Flight volumes are increasing, so airports need better ways to process flyers. Airports need better ways to make money, too, by encouraging passengers to spend more in their shops and restaurants. Data is growing in importance. Everything happening at an airport, from where passengers are flowing to which items are selling in stores, generates data. Airports can analyze this data to spot opportunities for eking out fatter profits. They can sell the data to third-parties as well.

The advents of disruptive technologies including AI, voice, and mixed reality have introduced a futuristic vision to the smart vehicle experience. Automobile makers and retailers both are trying to capitalize on new high-tech solutions to revamp the in-vehicle experience for both drivers and passengers. Such technology solutions are also helping mobility service providers to gain an edge over others in a highly competitive market. As the passenger experience becomes a top priority for companies, autonomous vehicles may evolve into hubs for immersive entertainment and new channels for retail. The auto companies are accelerating in-car experience while looking forward to optimizing across all facets of the car journey ensuring passenger safety and vehicle security.

When you hear the term "passenger economy," you might have one of three associations: The passenger economy is dependent on autonomous transportation technologies like self-driving cars, but the term "passenger economy" is broad and somewhat intentionally vague. The passenger economy is a set of industries that commoditize mobility, generating new services to enhance--and monetize--the experience of being a passenger in a so-called "driverless future." As it becomes increasingly possible to personalize and automate transportation, passenger vehicles will become a site for commercial opportunity. Public transportation does just this: you pay to be transported from one place to the other. You purchase the ability to access trains and buses that are already operative.

How do you think AI will impact the aviation industry? I suspect AI (by which I mean machine sensing and learning) will impact aviation in many ways from passenger experience to flight operations. Personally, I would like to see improvements in the experience of airport security. When it comes to flight safety, we are, for the most part, willing to give up quite a bit of privacy. I would like to see more intelligent ways for our personal data to be used to increase security while making the security procedures themselves less noticeable.

One of the great challenges and opportunities of the 21st century will be to sort out what human beings do best and what's better left to machines and artificial intelligence (AI). In many ways, AI picks up where analytics leaves off. With analytics, organizations collect and analyze data so they can make better decisions. For example, airports might want to know which airlines get the most traffic so they can determine how many gates each should be assigned. They might also use data to determine which retailers to place within their facilities and where to put them.

A lot of concept cars are coming out of CES. Most of them are geared toward making the passenger experience more relaxing. Toyota wants riders to also be at ease as well, but it also wants the driver to have a good time. A lot of concept cars are coming out of CES. Most of them are geared toward making the passenger experience more relaxing. Toyota wants riders to also be at ease as well, but it also wants the driver to have a good time.