Airports and ground ops post-COVID
Let's share some thoughts about what airports might look like in a post-COVID world.
My guess: manned check-in and baggage drop-off counters will likely become a thing of the past. There will be a massive transition to online check-in only and self-service kiosks for bag drop-off. We'll also see more automated passport gates, automated boarding pass scanning and perhaps more self-service check-out points in airport retail. This is the perfect time for airport operators to cull their labour costs once and forever.
For the few remaining customer-facing roles, open-space workplaces will probably no longer be the norm. As people have come to the realization that someone facing hundreds of different people every day can easily become a superspreader of any infectious disease, not just COVID-19, screens are likely to be installed on all remaining service counters. Booking of services online in advance will be encouraged, just as contactless payment. And paper boarding passes will likely disappear soon, being replaced by mobile QR codes. Full-body scanners at security will probably go big as well as they don't involve the personal contact which physical body search does.
That's what springs to my mind for now. Any further thoughts and ideas?