Category: Programs

Jewel Changi

A Look at the Recently Completed $1.3 Billion Jewel Changi Project

by James Gill, posted in Airports, Amenities, Facilities, Infrastructure, Locations, Programs, Technology, Transportation

One of the airports often recognized among the best in the world is Singapore’s Changi Airport, which recently received a $1.3 billion upgrade via the Jewel extension. Changi Airport has become ingrained in the identity of Singapore with its distinctive amenities, which include a butterfly garden and rooftop swimming pool. Last year, 65 million travelers passed through the airport, making it one of the busiest in the world. The Jewel extension was completed earlier this year and was designed by Safdie Architects as an attraction unto itself, with the intention of attracting both foreigners and locals. More than half of Jewel’s visitors come from Singapore, partially because of the unique design, which is meant to uplift passengers and reduce the stress of travel through features that encourage repeat visits.

The Jungle at the Heart of the Jewel Changi Expansion

At the heart of Jewel Changi is a tropical jungle that encompasses five stories and 270 square feet. More than 100,000 shrubs and 2,000 trees were planted in the area, which is accessible any time of the day via trails or nets that stretch above the treetops. Guests can also walk across a glass canopy bridge that is 75 feet above the ground. The whole feature is topped with a domed glass roof made from 9,000 different panels. Small gaps between the panels provide air circulation to reduce heat indoors while letting in natural light for the plants. One of the most impressive features of this central space is its openness. To prevent columns from blocking views, the architects built a single base of clustered columns that slowly stretch apart like a fan as they move toward the ceiling.

The tropical garden also features a waterfall that sends mist into the air to help moderate the temperature. The entire building is shaped somewhat like a circular donut; rainwater is collected through a central opening to feed the waterfall, which is known as the Rain Vortex. The system pumps 500,000 liters of water from the basement to the top of the dome. When there’s no rainwater to feed the waterfall, the water is recirculated to keep it running. In addition, an animated light show projects onto the cascading water to add even more drama. The show was engineered by former Disney employees. To prevent spectators from getting wet, an acrylic column sits at the base of the building to collect water and protect against splashes.

Image by kangster65 | Flickr

Outside of the Main Garden Area

Outside of the indoor jungle, travelers will find many other attractive features throughout Jewel Changi. Many people have praised the retail complex attached to the facility, which contains 200 stores. Several of these retailers are the first or biggest in the region; Jewel Changi is home to the largest Nike store in Southeast Asia and the very first Pokémon Center in Asia outside of Japan. Diners have their pick of nearly 100 restaurants, ranging from fast food and fast-casual outlets to high-end eateries like Violet Oon, which serves traditional Singaporean food; and Shang Social, a standalone restaurant from the Shangri-La hotel group.

Travelers frequently choose to bring their food up to the top floor of Jewel Changi to enjoy the outdoor dining terrace. This area can hold up to 1,000 people, so even when the airport is busy, there is usually space to sit and enjoy a meal outside. However, the top floor has other attractions beyond the terrace. Travelers should not miss the towering four-sided sculpture, which also acts as group of playground slides for a few moments of fun before or after a meal. There’s even a hedge maze—a fun and active way to spend some time while waiting for a flight.

The More Practical Side of Jewel Changi

Not all the features of Jewel Changi are designed simply for the amusement of travelers. The extension was also created to move travelers to their flights as efficiently and pleasantly as possible. For example, the airport worked with more than 20 airlines to place early check-in stations throughout Jewel Changi. These stations allow travelers to drop off their bags early so that they aren’t forced to carry them through the new area. Furthermore, a train easily and quickly connects travelers to all the terminals while providing a calming view of the jungle garden and waterfall. Furthermore, travelers don’t have to worry about parking—the new facility expanded the parking garage to five levels with the capacity to house 2,500 cars.

The architects and airport leaders also installed amenities for travelers connecting to other modes of transportation. A luxury lounge caters to passengers who will eventually connect to cruise ships or ferries. This feature could help drive new partnerships with other travel companies. In addition, Jewel Changi provides an option for weary travelers who need rest during long, multiple-flight journeys. A YotelAir hotel offers 130 different cabins that visitors can book by the hour when they need a nap or just a quiet, private room in which to relax.

Featured Image by 郭瑞霖 | Flickr

This Is How Increased Rideshare Use Is Affecting Airports

by James Gill, posted in Airports, Infrastructure, Passengers, Programs, Technology, Transportation, Vehicles

Across the country, people are noticing a problem at airports that only seems to be getting worse: traffic. This traffic derives from a number of different factors, not least of which is the record number of travelers. However, another driving force is the increasing use of ridesharing apps. Most airports were designed with lines for taxis to facilitate movement in and out of the airport, but ridesharing circumvents this design, causing more congestion. Many airports are trying to address this issue by making key changes in traffic flow, such as creating separate areas for rideshare vehicles, larger off-site parking lots where drivers can wait, and express lanes for particular types of travelers.

Rideshare companies are also responding to this issue by changing the ways in which they provide service to airports. For example, there are now “rematching” options (available through both Uber and Lyft) that help to link rideshare drivers who just dropped off a rider to another potential rider, cutting down on the time spent circulating and waiting at the airport. On the more extreme end, Uber even offers non-land service to some airports.

However, these measures are not enough, and operational staff at airports in major metro areas are scrambling to keep up with changes. Part of the issue is that rideshare demand skyrocketed in a relatively short period of time, so there has not been much time to respond.

vehicle traffic

A Growing Problem in the United States Since 2014

One of the first airports to recognize the issue caused by rideshare traffic is San Francisco International Airport, which served 58 million travelers in 2018, up from 47 million in 2014. Unfortunately, the airport has a freeway on one side and a bay on the other, so there are no options for expansion.

Recently, models showed that to increase traffic flow, officials would have to set the speed limit at the airport at 15 mph, up from the current 10 mph. However, achieving that goal means they would first have to reduce rideshare traffic by 45 percent. The airport has instituted a number of measures to do so, such as incentivizing riders to get dropped off in the parking garage, but these measures have not panned out. More recently, the airport decided to force almost all rideshare traffic to the top floor of the garage in a desperate attempt to ease traffic; this appears to be working, at least temporarily.

At the same time, the “rematch” option mentioned above, which has worked well at other airports, does not work at San Francisco International. The current location of the pickup area prevents this option from being implemented.

Because of this issue, rideshare companies have become more creative with their solutions. After all, it is in their best interest to work with airports to make everything run more smoothly. Both Lyft and Uber have launched a new program in which riders get a code and then get into the vehicle of any rideshare driver. The code then directs the driver to the rider’s destination. First introduced for large events like concerts, the system has valuable applications for airports. Namely, it eliminates the need for riders to search for drivers and find the designated car, a major source of congestion.

The Value and Downside of New Construction as a Solution

In the long run, however, these solutions will likely not prove adequate. Some airports have already begun working toward more permanent solutions. For example, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has invested $30 billion in transforming its three main airports. These upgrades include infrastructure changes that will help to handle rideshares. At the same time, these construction solutions create short-term issues such as adding more vehicles to the mix and potentially shutting down some of the lanes in the airport as they work on expansion. Thus, facilities need to be strategic with the infrastructure changes that they make. These changes should also focus on more than just rideshare structures and seek to provide more lanes and overall space for cars to move.

The real question with these major projects is who will pay for them. If rideshare apps are necessitating the construction, it is not out of the question to hold these companies somewhat responsible. Airports already do this by charging facility fees to drivers, which are typically passed on to passengers. But this has already resulted in some tension as airports continue to raise the cost of these fees. According to a recent report out of Canada, Uber has pulled out of service at Ontario Airport due to a hike in the fees instituted at the facility. Moving forward, figuring the payment issue out may prove the biggest hurdle to reducing the traffic burden.

airport

New Program Allows Travelers to Skip Airport Security Lines

by James Gill, posted in Airports, Passengers, Programs, Regulation, Security, Technology, Transportation

One of the top sources of stress at airports is security lines. An unexpectedly slow or long security line can put you at risk of missing your flight, which is why many people arrive at the airport very early. However, this often means spending an hour or more waiting at the terminal for the flight to board. Several different solutions have been offered to make this process quicker and more convenient. One option that has recently gained some traction is Clear. More than 3 million people have become members of Clear, which uses biometric data that enables them to move quickly through security lines. Clear members can use either their fingerprint or iris to prove their identity, which allows them to then move directly to the security bins after showing a valid boarding pass.

The Availability and Cost of a Clear Membership in the United States

Naturally, Clear will only come in handy if the airport that you use has the technology. In the United States, the Clear technology has already been adopted by more than 30 airports, a number that will likely grow in the coming years. Moreover, Clear is working to partner with other organizations besides airports. For example, Yankees Stadium and the Staples Center have already installed Clear booths at the entryway into the events that they host. Clear uses an encrypted code that corresponds to members’ data in order to verify their identity so that no other form of identification is needed at the airport. The biometric data from the Clear station is compared against a computer database in order to identify the traveler. With their identity confirmed, they do not need to show any further physical identification.

airport passengers

Clear is not a free service. Currently, individuals must pay an annual fee of $179 to use the biometric scanners. While the price may be worth it for those who travel often or who simply value their time, the average traveler may find the cost to be a bit exorbitant, particularly if they arrive at the airport and there are no or few security lines, meaning that the service would have little value to them. However, if a security line is unexpectedly long, the service could mean the difference between catching and missing a flight. In addition, there are ways other than paying for a Clear membership to obtain access to the service. A number of airlines have partnered with the company to obtain free or discounted memberships for their frequent flyers, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

Delta Uses Clear to Eliminate Another Step in the Security Process

Delta is taking its partnership with Clear a step further by removing yet another step in the process of boarding a flight. Customers flying on Delta with a linked SkyMiles account do not need to show their boarding pass when moving past security, as this information is linked to the biometric scan. The airline conducted a trial run on the system for several months before it went live. Through these trials, they found that the Clear system could successfully identify travelers and retrieve boarding pass information using their personal identity. The process saves individuals from having to dig into their pockets to find their boarding passes, going to the counter to print their passes, or downloading a mobile pass onto their smartphones.

airport

Currently, only Delta offers boarding pass verification, so members flying on other airlines will still need to show a physical or digital ticket. Since Delta has a stake in Clear, it makes sense that this airline is the first to develop this technology. In the future, travelers should expect to see Clear used at many other steps of airport identify verification, such as when checking their bags or entering a lounge. Using a fingerprint or iris scan will make the entire process safer and faster for customers. Delta has also worked to make Clear technology accessible to its customers. Delta Diamond members have access to Clear at no cost, and any person with a SkyMiles membership receives a reduced-cost membership, which may range from between $79 to $99 annually. This half-price deal may encourage many more people to purchase the service, which could drive its inclusion at new airports across the country.

The Risks Involved with Biometric Identification Services

Travelers considering Clear may worry about security, especially considering the debate over the use of facial recognition technology in airports. Clear makes information security a prime concern and works diligently to ensure that its systems are as safe as possible. After all, even this data could be used in harmful ways if it falls into the wrong hands. So far, no breaches have occurred with Clear, and the data sent remains heavily encrypted. Still, it is worthwhile to note that potential customers recognize the risks involved with biometric identification.