Airport Experience® News - Customer Service Issue 2025

International Airport (MIA) deployed WHILL’s autonomous chairs in Spring 2024, with American Airlines subsidiary Envoy Air reporting thousands of successful rides since, says Adam Simmons, director of communications for Envoy. At Vancouver International Airport (YVR), A&K Robotics tested 10 mobility “pods” in a pilot program last year. The pods conducted more than 1,000 trips, officials say. The goal is to have a fleet of the pods in the future. A potential expansion could see uses beyond pure mobility — one idea being considered is to offer an art tour where the pods move from artwork to artwork across the massive terminal. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) has also deployed an autonomous wheelchair pilot in partnership with Unifi and WHILL, supported by a grant from Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. The devices feature collision avoidance sensors, pre-mapped routes and emergency stop capabilities. Phil Burke, assistant director of customer experience at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), notes a critical gap with many mobility efforts: the pre-security experience.

Left: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is one of a growing number of airports that are taking a proactive, beyond-the-basics approach to ensuring an optimal experience for travelers with disabilities. Above: Sensory rooms, like this one at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, can help calm travelers with often invisible disabilities.

“It’s the facilities that people are experiencing… the interactions that they’re having with our frontline staff along the way… and it really is hearing from our customers and hearing from the disability community,” says Chelsea Rodriguez, manager for airport access at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Autonomous Wheelchairs Take On Terminals One of the flashier initiatives has autonomous wheelchair-like devices filling passenger mobility assistance roles at several airports. The forms vary. Miami

Above: Seattle-Tacoma International, Minneapolis-St. Paul International and Halifax Stanfield International are among the airports that have rolled out the Aira platform to aid blind or limited-sight travelers.

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AX NEWS OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2025