Today is my first time at La Guardia airport in New York. I am pleasantly surprised by the fact that there are an iPad and a credit card reader at every table, next to a separate electricity outlet.
The devices have every information that a passenger may possibly need while at the airport. More importantly, it makes orders more accurate, self-serving and efficient. No waiters need to take orders and dispense bills. There is no difficulty in locating the customers who placed orders as I am sure that every iPad comes with a unique ID. Moreover, there will be no argument over the accuracy of orders as everything is recorded digitally.
Because the iPad and credit card reader combo sit next to an outlet, passengers can order some food and spend hours with ample electricity. The wifi is reasonably fast enough that I can stream videos. It’s more difficult than you would think to build a network big and fast enough to accommodate thousands of Internet users with heavy demand at the same time. The bandwidth, reliability and consistency have to be maintained well enough to make waiting a pleasant experience. Plus, the network has to handle numerous transactions at a time by passengers. I am intrigued to know the infrastructure like the one at La Guardia.
I may not be as experienced as other fliers, but I know that what is offered at La Guardia isn’t available at every airport. Technology, when used properly, can benefit human beings greatly. This is one of those cases. I am glad to be alive in this era. At this moment.
Minh Quang Duong 