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#travelators — Public Fediverse posts

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  1. Michal Bryxí @[email protected] ·

    Assuming it is possible: When on #escalators / #travelators do you keep walking?

    #poll

    #escalators #travelators #poll
  2. Michal Bryxí @[email protected] ·

    Assuming it is possible: When on #escalators / #travelators do you keep walking?

    #poll

    #escalators #travelators #poll
  3. Panethos @[email protected] ·

    Bad airport mojo by eliminating moving sidewalks

    Stumbled across this topic on New Year’s Day after having traveled through number of major airports in the past month. All one could think of this trend is;

    “Boy, what a bad public relations decision!”

    We utilized a number of moving sidewalks (a.k.a. autowalks or travelators) in Minneapolis, Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago Midway, and Phoenix just since mid-November and found them to be a very welcome respite from the toils and travails of “airport world” when striding along them as they roll on.

    Moving walkway map of Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport – Source: upgradepoints.com

    For weary travelers or those on the go, moving walkways can ease the your travels by reducing the number of steps needed to get from gate to gate while lugging carry-on items, pushing strollers, and/or when carrying/accompanied by little ones in an attempt to catch a connecting flight. This is especially true when your flight happens be departing from another concourse or terminal.

    Moving sidewalk in Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport – Source: flickr.com

    Moving walkways are also considerably more comfortable to step along than harder, unforgiving surfaces like concrete and linoleum.

    In an era where the average age is rising, it seems counterintuitive to be decommissioning moving sidewalks from airports. Just this past week, we observed Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport signage boasting of a new moving sidewalk that was being built. Thankfully, other airports are not buying into this unfortunate trend either.

    Those airports that have already removed some or all of their their moving walkways include:

    Chicago O’Hare International (United Terminal)

    Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International

    Dallas-Fort Worth International

    Fayetteville/Northwest Arkansas National

    Las Vegas/Reid International

    Orlando International

    The rationale behind the removal trend appears to include the cost(s) associated with the repair/maintenance/replacement of moving walkway systems. Since they are flat, it seems such work would be less cost prohibitive than similar repairs on escalators — and you sure not going to see anyone propose to remove those. Given the enormous costs associated with operating an airport, moving walkway repair costs seem minimal when compared to tarmacs, runways, people movers, parking garages, and the like.

    A secondary reason cited is that those using moving walkways are less likely to shop/eat in various stores and restaurants along the route. This reason is particularly annoying given the prices charged in airports aren’t exactly a bargain. Furthermore, most of the moving walkways seen by this author tend to be located in areas of the airport not frequented by retailers and restaurants. Such an argument by airports, or their concession operators sounds like the bean-counters are running the show and likely will not be convincing to the traveling public.

    Lastly, safety is an issue noted. And yes, one must be alert when using moving walkways, just like when riding escalators. But, that doesn’t mean they should be removed from landscape altogether. Instead, innovative design changes and/or technological advances could provide a solution to this occasional problem. Below is an image of a newer technology belt-driven moving walkway as an alternative to pallet-based systems.

    Starglide brand belt moving walkway – Source: airport-suppliers.com

    Airport managers, airlines, and airport planners should think long and hard about making life for travelers that much more cumbersome. At some point, the public will rebel and/or reject such draconian actions. As rail travel is seeing a renaissance in America and high-speed rail grows in scope, shorter haul flights will see more completion. Others may decide to drive. Lastly;

    In an increasingly competitive world, more people-friendly options may become the choice by many travelers rather than being herded like cattle.

    p.s. Don’t be surprised to see some of the airports listed in bold above reverse course on their moving walkway removal and reinstall new systems in the future.

    SOURCE:

    #airTravel #airports #autowalks #aviation #cities #flights #health #history #movement #movingSidewalks #planning #transportation #travel #travelTips #travelators #walking

    #airtravel #airports #autowalks #aviation #cities #flights