Flight Information Display Systems: What You Need to Know

The airport can be a taxing place, but what a lot of travelers don't realize is that it can be even more stressful for the employees. The means to communicate with travelers has been revolutionized with airport digital signage, primarily known as Flight Information Displays (FIDs).

FIDs help passengers find the information they need because FIDs showcase real-time flight info.

What are FIDs?

Airport display boards have been around seemingly forever, but the digitized version known as FIDs are fairly recent. FIDs are LCD or LED screens that are used to demonstrate real-time flight information to passengers. The displays are typically located inside and around an airport terminal, but most airports also link the content back to their websites.

Each line on a FID refers to a specific flight number and typically contains the following information:

• The IATA/IACO airline designator or the name and logo
• The city of origin/destination and any layovers
• The expected arrival/departure time
• Any updated times or delays
• The gate number
• The check-in counter number or the name of the airline
• The flight status, i.e. landing, delayed or boarded

The way this data is conveyed depends on the type and style of the display. Some airports choose to sort the lines by city, while others may do so by airline name or time.

Other Types of Airport Digital Signage

And FIDs aren’t the only type of common airport digital signage. Gate Information Displays (GIDs) and Baggage Information Displays (BIDs) are also helping passengers in airports all over the world. Each passenger information solution is designed to pull relevant, real-time data from specific Airport Operation Databases (AODBs) and display it wherever it’s most relevant. Airports also use:

• Wayfinding stations
• Readerboards
• Vendor advertising
• Live data streaming
• Employee communications
• Meeting room signage

What are the Benefits of Flight Information Display Systems?

When FIDs were first created, it was done so through a split-flap display that was managed electronically. All content was static and numbers were never updated in real-time. This often left travelers lost and upset—which subsequently affected the stress levels of employees.

Since the integration of FIDs with digital and dynamic content, the advantages of this system are much more tangible and quantifiable. Time constraints, budget restrictions and changing flight info are all issues that can be addressed with airport display boards. The following are some of the key benefits airport facilities are seeing with airport digital signage:

• Enhanced traveler experience
• The ability to steer traffic and drive revenue
• Streamlined passenger flow
• Improved vendor relations
• Elevated employee communications
• Optimized daily operations

Digital signage is not only integral in helping travelers find the information they need, airports have discovered a multitude of other advantages that make it worthwhile.

The Future Traveler Experience

Digital signage is constantly improving how airports and airlines communicate with travelers. Commercial aviation has already begun the industry-wide overhaul of static signage, quickly replacing outdated communication mediums with digital signage.

Additionally, the entertainment and marketing aspects of airport signage are limitless. As society continues to rely on digital forms of communication, FIDs, BIDs, GIDs wayfinding stations and other types of airport digital signage solutions will become even more prevalent than they already are.