// BEGIN editorial data var i = 0; var biz_FOB_terminals = new Array(); biz_FOB_terminals.ID = "biz_FOB_terminals"; biz_FOB_terminals.ID_WB = 19334086; biz_FOB_terminals.sPubDate = "6/25/2007 11:31:26 PM GMT"; biz_FOB_terminals.navsectionID = "3174182" biz_FOB_terminals.appFmt = 2; biz_FOB_terminals.itemsPerPage = 1; biz_FOB_terminals.appWidth = 460; biz_FOB_terminals.appHeader = ""; biz_FOB_terminals.appNavStyle = 3; biz_FOB_terminals.bDhtml = 0; biz_FOB_terminals.appLayout = 3; biz_FOB_terminals.copyHeight = 330; biz_FOB_terminals.copyWidth = 480; biz_FOB_terminals.copyMargin = 9; biz_FOB_terminals[i++] = new Array("","Terminals of the future","John F. Kennedy International Airport","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/2007/June/070622/FutureOfBusiness_Airport/airport_introPic.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Seth Wenig", "AP", "90", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); biz_FOB_terminals[i-1].body = "
When optimists talk about the airport of tomorrow, they describe something straight out of an episode of The Jetsons – sleek, fully automated and efficient. But when today’s air travelers ponder their next flight, they’re more likely to describe something that belongs in another 1960s TV show: Batman.

Claustrophobia-inducing. Ineffective. Disorganized.

They’re both right. The cool new terminals are coming, but it could take a while. And between then and now, using an airport will be like visiting Gotham.

Click on the categories (left) to see what to expect."; biz_FOB_terminals[i++] = new Array("","Bigger and better","The new South Terminal at Miami International Airport","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/FutureOfBusiness_Airport/Aiport_BiggerTerminals.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "Miami International Airport", "99", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); biz_FOB_terminals[i-1].body = "
Roberto Smith, whose Coral Gables, Fla., firm MGE Architects designed Miami International Airport’s new Concourse J, says the trend in terminal design is to become “very heightened.” That includes “top-level interior finish materials and very high ceilings,” he says. The buildings will be like small cities – places where you can comfortably spend an entire day (which hopefully won’t be necessary). Plus, they’re pretty. “Cities are spending a lot of their budgets, implementing the integration of public art into the design of the concourse buildings,” he adds."; biz_FOB_terminals[i++] = new Array("","More shopping and dining","The Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/FutureOfBusiness_Airport/Aiport_ShopsDinning.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Jayme Halbritter", "AP", "106", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); biz_FOB_terminals[i-1].body = "
Restaurants and shops used to be an afterthought at the airport. No longer. Now, with the average airline passenger spending 80 minutes in the terminal after clearing security, they’re a priority, says Les Cappetta, executive vice president for HMSHost Corp., a concession-services company in Bethesda, Maryland. “Once travelers meet their basic needs for food, beverages, and staying connected and informed, they are looking for other ways to spend the longer dwell time, post security,” he says. Look for casual restaurants offering more exotic cuisine – and plenty more shopping."; biz_FOB_terminals[i++] = new Array("","Free Wi-Fi","WiFi access at Los Angeles International Airport","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/FutureOfBusiness_Airport/airport_wi-fi.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Jamie Rector", "Getty Images", "96", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); biz_FOB_terminals[i-1].body = "
Many of the forward-looking airports, such as Orlando International Airport, already offer a gratis wireless connection. In the future, many more will, according to Richard Marchi, a senior advisor for policy and regulatory affairs at the Airports Council International - North America in Washington. Why not charge for a wireless connection? Increasingly, airports are viewing free Wi-Fi “as public service offerings to improve passenger loyalty to their airport, especially in regions where airport competition exists,” he says."; biz_FOB_terminals[i++] = new Array("","Faster security screening","X-ray security scanner at Sky Harbor International Airport, in Phoenix, Ariz.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/FutureOfBusiness_Airport/airport_fasterSecurityScreen.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Elaine Thompson", "AP", "102", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); biz_FOB_terminals[i-1].body = "
Emerging technologies such as biometrics and radio-frequency identification (RFID) will allow authorities to track passengers better and process them through security checkpoints faster, says Zane Gresham, who chairs the global airports and aviation group at the law firm Morrison & Foerster LLP. “This suite of technological solutions will free passengers from the two- to three-hour TSA shuffle-disrobe-and-display-all-toiletries mode,” he predicts. “It will restore competitiveness to short-distance air travel, which has become unattractive because of the time it takes to move through an airport.”"; biz_FOB_terminals[i++] = new Array("","A registered traveler program","A Clear Registered Traveler biometric identification card","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/FutureOfBusiness_Airport/Airport_TravelerProgram.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Richard Drew", "AP", "110", "91", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); biz_FOB_terminals[i-1].body = "
The controversial registered traveler program, which allows air travelers to get pre-screened before they arrive at the airport, is on the verge of an expansion. Luke Thomas, the executive vice president at Life In The Fast Lane, a Kirkland, Wash., company that offers a registered traveler system, compares the system to a toll road. “It will provides a new paradigm at the checkpoint,” he says. (Registered traveler programs are already available at several airports, including Cincinnati, Indianapolis, New York and Orlando.)"; biz_FOB_terminals[i++] = new Array("","Additional runways","Airplanes line up for take-off at LaGuardia Airport in New York","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/FutureOfBusiness_Airport/airport_additionalRunways.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Julie Jacobson", "AP", "69", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); biz_FOB_terminals[i-1].body = "
As passenger demand grows, so will capacity. That’s the assessment of Michael Glover of Innovative Solutions & Support, an Exton, Pa., manufacturer of aircraft flight information computers. He says the Federal Aviation Administration has outlined a plan to increase airspace capacity and efficiency in the near-term future. One example of a runway upgrade is Atlanta’s new runway and taxiway. “The new runway added capacity in terms of more operations per hour,” says Glover. Look for more of them in the future. "; biz_FOB_terminals[i++] = new Array("","Quicker check-in and baggage screening","Travelers wait in line to check in at O'Hare International Airport","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/FutureOfBusiness_Airport/airport_quickerCheckIn.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Scott Olson", "Getty Images", "95", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); biz_FOB_terminals[i-1].body = "
Better technology and new terminal designs will streamline the check-in process. But some airlines are also relying on tried-and-true strategies for picking up the pace at the check-in area. American Airlines, for example, recently added more stations and tables at Dallas Fort Worth and plans to do the same later this year at New York’s LaGuardia airport. “Extending areas for people to prepare their belongings for screening increases passenger processing rates by almost 30 percent,” says Laura Einspanier, American’s vice president for corporate real estate."; biz_FOB_terminals[i++] = new Array("","Modernized air traffic control system","An air traffic controller in Auburn, Wash.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070622/FutureOfBusiness_Airport/Aiport_airTrafficControlSystem.htease.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Elaine Thompson", "AP", "110", "148", "#000000", "", "", "", ""); biz_FOB_terminals[i-1].body = "
Perhaps the biggest changes won’t be noticeable at all. At least that’s how James Burnley, a Secretary of Transportation during the Reagan administration and a current partner at the law firm Venable LLP, sees it. His prediction? Efforts now underway to modernize the air traffic control system using GPS technology will affect how long passengers spend at the airport of the future. “Over the next three to five years, both the federal government and the airline industry will be spending billions of dollars on this transition,” he says. “This will increase safety, reduce delays and improve airline operations. For passengers, the result – again, gradually realized – will be less time waiting to board or sitting on aircraft waiting to take off.”"; // END editorial data