Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and View, a developer of smart glass, have announced the results of a study on the impact of natural light and the airport passenger experience. The study, conducted at CLT, found that natural light enhances passenger comfort, which in turn increases passenger satisfaction with gate experience.
View’s Smart Windows use artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize the amount of natural light in the terminal while minimizing heat and glare, to provide a more comfortable environment for passengers. In addition, smart windows reduce energy consumption by reducing cooling requirements.
The airport highlighted some key findings from the study, including:
- Passengers were 68% more likely to report being “very satisfied” with their overall experience in gates with View Smart Windows than in gates with traditional windows.
- The concourse with View Smart Windows had more natural light and less glare, and passengers rated it up to 33% more modern, efficient, bright and comfortable than the one with traditional
- Seats at the gates with View Smart Windows are 15° cooler than at gates with traditional windows, leading to a more comfortable passenger environment.
“We pride ourselves on providing an exceptional passenger experience, and this study shows that our new facilities are helping achieve that mission,” said CLT’s acting aviation director, Haley Gentry. “As airports increasingly look to instill confidence in the travel experience, it is clear that concourse design is key to ensuring satisfaction.”
The study was conducted a year after CLT installed View Smart Windows in its Concourse A Expansion, which opened in July 2018 and houses United, Southwest, JetBlue, Air Canada and Frontier Airlines.