As the hordes of air travelers increase exponentially, so does the need to have adequate security-screening personnel on the airport floor to keep things safe and moving on schedule. Unfortunately, this is not always a reality. Then there are the exceptions.
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) achieved its best ranking in the 21-year history of the U.S. Department of Transportation airfare report in 2016. That same year, the airport also experienced its highest passenger traffic volume with almost seven million passengers passing through. This achievement is attributed to the use of BlipTrack queue and flow technology at TSA checkpoints, which reportedly makes for better resource utilization and smoother passenger processing.
Taking initiative, CVG is the first US airport to use BlipTrack. The technology allows airport workers to efficiently plan and allocate resources in cooperation with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). After a year of use, the airport reduced TSA security line wait times by one third. In a 2015 report produced by Purdue University, standard wait times dropped by four minutes from 13.2 minutes to 8.9 minutes, compared to 2011.
The airport has expanded the BlipTrack solution and added new features. Passenger-facing wait time monitors and web interfaces provide immediate wait-time status, easing natural travel anxieties associated with queue lines and setting realistic expectations. Additionally, CVG has gone so far as to establish service level agreement-like standards for self-accountability, ensuring that average wait times below 15 minutes are the norm.
For the second quarter ending June 2017, the average wait time for expedited screening registered at 11 minutes and 28 seconds. As CVG’s peak-day checkpoint throughput vaulted from 10,000 to over 15,000 during that period, the improvement is noteworthy. Also, in the grand scheme of things, 11 minutes and 28 seconds is ample time for persons who are afraid of flying to chicken out and go home. Once again, sensors are on the job. For more details, contact Blip Systems.