There are two groups of people that can be found in airports. Those who stand in line and wait for their turn. And those who believe the rules don’t apply to them and therefore, they deserve special treatment. We like to call the latter bunch entitled passengers. The Karens of the sky.

A frequent flyer has told of his encounter with one such person. The guy says she cut in front of him, simply by stating that they were on the same flight… so it shouldn’t really matter. Too tired to argue, he left her to learn for herself that even queens have to stand in lines. The entitled passenger almost didn’t board at all.

People have been using all sorts of tricks to cut into boarding lines at the airport

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Image credits: Harri P / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

When one Karen did so at the expense of a frequent flyer, he stood back and watched karma get to work

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Image credits: prostooleh / Freepik (not the actual photo)

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Image credit: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Curiousandhealing

Karens, and the rest of us, might be happy to know that airport lines could soon be a thing of the past

I think it’s safe to say that not many people enjoy standing in long lines. They may tolerate it and abide by the rules. But it’s not exactly the most fun thing to do. Especially when you’re in a rush. Thankfully, air travel is set to look quite different in the coming years. And that apparently includes a line-less airport experience. Yes, you read right. And you can rejoice with us. While Karen undoubtedly finds something else to complain about.

The Airport Show will take place in Dubai next year. It’s a global gathering that brings together aviation industry leaders from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region (MEASA). One of the hot topics on the agenda is innovation and how AI is shaking things up for travelers.

According to the Airport Show site, our days of standing in line at airports may well be numbered. Thanks to the steady advance of emerging technologies. The check-in desk, bag drop area, security sections, immigration desks and the airport gate itself are all set for an upgrade.

“A critical combination of biometrics, self-service options and data-driven smart solutions is helping to lift the operational capabilities of leading airports, while ruthlessly cutting queues down to size,” reads the site. Of course, how fast or slow this happens will vary, depending on each airport’s location. And the resources or technological advances available in that area.

Many airports are already using biometrics as part of the immigration clearance process. The introduction of fingerprinting and facial recognition software has helped to speed up things for passengers. But some will argue that the lines still don’t move fast enough.

Enter the next generation of biometric-based solutions to give Karens fewer things to complain about. Or one can hope. Etihad Airways is among those leading the pack. The airline recently partnered with automation technology solutions provider Elenium to develop a range of voice-activated self-service kiosk, bag drop and boarding gate facilities.

“Once fully deployed, this suite of biometric solutions will allow passengers to enjoy a queue-free airport experience, as they can offer up facial and voice-based biometric data to the airline via their smartphone before they even arrive at the airport,” reveals the Air Show site. “Once they do arrive, they will be recognised by the airline’s systems, allowing them to grab their tickets, drop their bags and board their flight without ever having to produce a travel document or wait in a queue.”

Etihad is also taking advantage of AI. And they are apparently developing a new system that can scan and memorize each piece of a passenger’s baggage. This means another line can bite the dust, as there won’t be a need for long-winded tagging and checking of bags at the check-in desk.

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Image credits:  Erik Odiin / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Robots are taking the hassle out of finding parking at London’s Gatwick Airport

The airport innovation extends to outside the building as well. An exciting trial is underway at Gatwick Airport in London. Stanley Robotics has come on board to create driverless robots that can park vehicles for passengers.

“All they have to do is leave their car in a parking station near Gatwick’s South Terminal entrance and these specially designed robots will gently lift it up and safely deposit it in a secure car park,” reads the Airport Show site. “With the owner’s return flight information pre-loaded into the system, a robot will seamlessly retrieve the vehicle and have it ready for their arrival.”

Those working on the trial estimate that the robots will be able to optimize space to create an additional 100 parking spaces, while saving customers valuable time.

All of this doesn’t mean every single airport delay will be forever dead and gone. But it does signal that progress is being made in addressing the inefficiencies that drive many of us nuts. Thanks to technology moving at the speed of an Airbus 380, the future of flight travel looks promising.

Netizens came to the comments, and many felt that the Karen deserved the karma

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