SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Making air travel as safe as possible during the pandemic is a major focus at Lindbergh Field. To do this, they are turning to their Innovation Lab in an effort to create a touchless journey for every passenger. The Innovation Lab has been on sight at Lindbergh Field since 2018, and with one goal in mind, to shape the future of the airport customer experience
We are in our fifth cohort, which is a group of companies, founders, or entrepreneurs that have been with us for four months," says Innovation Lab Program Manager Gina Jacobs. "The focus for each cohort changes with every program."
And due to the pandemic, the current group is focusing on health and safety.
"Companies come up with solutions to make it a safe, and pleasant experience for our passengers coming through San Diego. We have to make sure people are six feet apart, we have social distancing in place, and so that's how we came to these ideas."
The list of 60 to 80 applicants has been narrowed to the final six, and they have been selected to test their ideas inside the lab. Ideas such as touchless tablets to screen boarding passes, and sanitary covers for airplane tray tables.
"We do have several companies that are focused on these touchless solutions. We also want to focus on solutions that help manage queues or movement of people in internal spaces."
At the end of the four-month program, each company delivers their test presentation, and a selection panel decides which company's idea is the best fit for San Diego.
"They don't all make it. Some of them are really awesome but not great for San Diego. Maybe they're great for LAX or someplace else. Some are wonderful, but not great for an airport environment. At the end of the day, some are great for San Diego so we want to bring them on site."
