My Method… How this airport uses queue management technology

When Gerald R. Ford (GRR) International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan, put out a bid for a new queue management system, its goal was to improve overall customer experience at the TSA checkpoint.

The airport’s previous system was very basic and did not have the capability to record data properly, offering little flexibility to adjust to changes in the queue.

It also often needed costly, time-consuming camera calibration, and it did not have the ability to offer and present data in a visually intuitive manner for an end user. Additionally, the former system did not offer any future scalability to monitor and improve any other experiences like retail and ticket counters.

The airport selected Xovis’ Queue Management System to rectify these issues and more. Currently deployed in the single TSA security checkpoint at the airport, the system provides daily and weekly reports to stakeholders, highlighting data including: wait time distribution, throughput totals, average wait time, physical distancing, total passengers, max queue length and max wait time.

The system will also play a role for years to come as COVID has heightened awareness of social distancing.

Cloud-based technology

GRR is the first U.S. airport to be hosted completely on Xovis Cloud. Our Passenger Flow Monitoring System (PFMS) combines 3D Sensors and software and is integrated with the airport’s wait time display provider to show the wait time for both the general queue and TSA pre-check.

Based on 3D images computed directly on the ceiling-mounted 3D Sensors, passengers are counted and tracked anonymously. Alerts are configured so that stakeholders are notified via email if the wait time exceeds 25 minutes and if the queue has hit capacity and passengers have reached the overflow zone.

The technology also provides data lead times that are made available on a passenger’s mobile device so they know what is going on at the airport ahead of time. By providing passengers with more visibility into their upcoming journey, they have the tools to make their own informed decisions when it comes to travel. If they know what the current wait-time is at the security checkpoint, they can effectively plan their travel.

No one wants to be late or miss their flight, so by arming passengers with as much information as possible, they have a better, more pleasant overall experience. That can lead to increased spending in the airport retail and concessions areas, as well as more frequent future travel.

Initially, we began working with GRR to focus on the queue itself and improve the overall operational flow of passengers. When we implemented the system, we were able to dive deeper and identify crowded areas quickly and offer real-time insights on every process point.

This allowed GRR to playback the entire operation, with our data identifying the root cause of issues that needed to be addressed. From there, they’ve created better layouts to decrease wait times and are better utilizing their resources and employee time management.

Success story at GRR

Assessing and capturing data better prepares GRR staff not only day-to-day, but also for the big holiday travel times. The technology takes the burden off internal IT employees and resources thus providing smoother outcomes when it comes to queue management all around.

Queue management truly is revolutionizing queue wait times and the customer experience. It also alleviates unsafe and uncomfortable crowding, thus improving the passenger journey and maintaining a safe environment for passengers and employees. It’s a win-win all around.