The Greater Peoria Airport Authority is excited to report travelers this holiday season were ecstatic over the new enhancement features put into operation at the terminal. On July 7, the Greater Peoria Airport Authority launched its new flight information display system (FIDS). The system provides real-time flight data to anyone using or visiting the airport.
The new FIDS is automated with an FAA flight data feed, which provides live airline flight status updates every five minutes. In addition, the system displays baggage belt information for each airline and gate information with real-time flight boarding and departure information.
On December 1, the authority turned off its late 1970s PA system and “turned up the volume” by making its first public announcement from a new, state-of-the-art sound system that can be heard throughout the terminal building and surrounding grounds. This is a digital paging system designed specifically for airport applications, with an ambient noise analysis system that will ensure the new speaker volumes are optimum for the actual noise level in the airport by adjusting the volume up or down, based upon the crowd noise. Additionally, the new system is updated every five minutes from an FAA flight data feed, which provides live flight boarding and departure information, as well as baggage belt information.
The authority also has acquired and installed three new passenger boarding bridges for Delta, Allegiant Air, and United, which will be able to accommodate up to B-757 aircraft. Each bridge will come equipped with a Jetway “Baggage Buddy” elevator to permit fast and easy gate check of baggage and easy retrieval of bags upon the passengers’ return.
To further enhance your travel experience, the authority has expanded its parking lot facility by an additional 279 spaces, for a total of 3,216 available parking spaces at the airport.
As the week of Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday season and the most traveled time of the year, on November 23, the airport authority hosted its annual “Passenger Appreciation Day” as our way of saying thank you for your continued support, providing free coffee and cookies to travelers. The same will take place December 23, with Santa present to help celebrate the holiday season.
With the year coming to an end, the airport authority looks forward to announcing its year-end passenger statistics as the numbers are mounting, and we anticipate reaching a milestone of more than 500,000 enplaned passengers for 2005, so stay tuned for final numbers to be revealed in January.
The airport authority thanks everyone for their continued support of the Greater Peoria Regional Airport, and we look forward to seeing you at the airport in 2006. IBI