Paul Kehoe, BHX's CEO, welcomes "Lucy" to the airport
Birmingham Airport has welcomed an unusual team member
today - Lucy, the "virtual assistant"
.
Lucy is a hologram and is programmed to give passengers
security information before they enter the passenger search
area to help simplify the process
.
Located at the head of the passenger security entrance, Lucy
is just one element of a £13m investment programme by the
airport to improve the passenger experience and improve
operational efficiency within the terminal
.
Paul Kehoe, CEO of Birmingham Airport, said, “The ban on
liquids back in 2006 remains confusing for some passengers
and although we’ve launched a number of initiatives to make
the process clearer and less daunting, it has remained
a problem for the security operation"
.
"By providing a clear message, we can speed up the search
process and make the journey more enjoyable for our
passengers, and judging by passenger reactions so far,
I think she’s going to be a real hit!”
.
This initiative is part of the "One Terminal" project, which
has seen the two terminals merge into one and the creation
of a newly extended central search area
.
In the coming weeks the Airport will also launch free
Wi-Fi throughout the terminal and a free travel
information app for mobile phones
.
Thursday 7 April 2011