Gallery: Cutting-Edge Technology At JFK Airport's New Terminal One

One-half of SITA’s testing lab in Bohemia, New York, has been set up to replicate what JFK’s New Terminal One might look like.

New Terminal One will feature SITA Smart-Path check-in kiosks with customizable self-service technology for processes including check-in and bag-tagging.

SITA’s Smart Path Swift Drop system is approved for both passengers and employees under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Taha Zahir, Gate Solutions (Americas) project manager at ADB Safegate, demonstrated the company’s Virtual Control Tower and One Control Integrated Controller Working Position (ICWP) in SITA’s IT Operations Command Center and Virtual Control Room. Zahir said three camera towers at JFK will cover the area around the apron and terminal, providing a controller a full view of aircraft movement on the ground.

A SITA employee demonstrated the biometric enrollment process that will be used for both embarkation and the bag-drop system. Anthony Natale, vice president of SITA North America, said the biometric scanning process is so accurate it can tell identical twins apart. Used in conjunction with SITA’s Smart Path Boarding Gate, the company's biometric scanning in airports resembles the process already used in much of Europe and the rest of the world. A more traditional boarding gate would be available for passengers who choose to opt out of biometrics.

Corey Stutz, director of segment marketing at ADB Safegate, demonstrated the inset Axon lights that will be used on JFK’s taxiways and aprons. ADP Safegate describes these lights as “automated apron lead-in lights” and “intelligent adaptive follow-the-green taxi guidance.” The smart LED fixtures have built-in sensors to collect situational data. 

The new smart lights are omnidirectional. 

Newsday reporter Peter Gill pretended to be a Bombardier CRJ-200 to demonstrate ADP Safegate’s Safedock Advanced Visual Docking Guidance System. The system uses infrared laser and 3D scanning technology, aiding performance in low-visibility conditions.

Once the aircraft hits its final stop line, the Safedock system instructs the driver to stop.

The apron manager software collects data from all arriving and departing flights to predict flight schedules and turnaround times. “This is a learning tool,” said Ricardo Pinillos, project executive at the New Terminal One project manager office. “Once we start running and operate, let’s say, in a few months, it will learn how to give us the best knowledge and the best information about what’s going to happen. It’s artificial intelligence.”

ADB Safegate’s apron manager software is “three softwares in one,” said Taha Zahir. “It’s the gateway to all the docking systems that we have at T1.”