Aviation security could begin at the travel agent or at home in the future as authorities struggle to strike a balance between the necessary screening process and lengthy queues at airports.
This was the view shared with delegates at the TTI conference by FastFutures chief executive and futurist Rohit Talwar.
“There will be a big shift in the attitude towards aviation security which will drive technology development, but it’s a no-win game so it will drive security out of the airports,” he said.
Talwar also predicted the entire airport check-in and security procedure will change, with more information sharing in the future.
“Why do we have to check-in and then give our details again after check-in? It could all be done as part of the booking. The question is how do we integrate all these processes,” he said.
People’s attitude to travel is also likely to change with the advent of A380 aircraft, Dreamliners, airships and supersonic version 2, according to Talwar.
“Companies complain they lose delegates when they get to the destination but they could realistically hold meeting on these planes and then let the delegates free on arrival,” he explained.
The use of robots as a cost effective labour force will also become more common as the technology becomes more sophisticated.
“These things are not a way off. A lot of people in the airline industry are interested in the idea of personal service robots but one of the biggest areas of interest is hotels, particularly in the Middle-East,” he said.
Talwar also added a note of caution on how big a challenge the environmental issue is going to present to the industry going forward.
“Travel is a very easy target because it is discretionary for most people and anything the industry can do will be in high demand.”
By Linda Fox
