January 28, 2025

How Beonic's Real-Time Data and AI Enhanced the Security Experience at Portland International Airport (PDX)

The Challenge: Managing Congestion at One of the Busiest Travel Hubs

Portland International Airport (PDX) stands as a vital gateway to the Pacific Northwest, managing tens of millions of passenger journeys each year. With this level of traffic, security bottlenecks could become an unavoidable pain point, disrupting the seamless experience PDX aimed to provide.

Unpredictable wait times not only inconvenience travellers but also risk overshadowing the airport’s reputation for operational excellence.

The Solution: Intelligent Places that Anticipate and Adapt

To address these challenges, PDX partnered with Beonic to deploy a transformative solution— real-time TSA wait time displays powered by our Queue Management Systems AI-driven data platform. More than just a technology upgrade, this initiative embodies Beonic’s core mission: creating better human experiences in physical places by making them more responsive to visitors' needs.

By embedding intelligence into the terminal, the solution empowers travellers to:

View live security checkpoint wait times at a glance.
Choose less congested checkpoints, reducing overall crowding.
Benefit from dynamic staff reallocation by TSA based on evolving passenger flow.
Navigate their journey with greater confidence and ease.

The Transformation: Real-Time Data and AI

The launch of PDX’s new US$2bn terminal in August provided the perfect canvas for innovation.

Beonic’s data platform was fully integrated into the new PDX terminal, using digital displays strategically placed throughout the space to provide real-time wait times.

These displays are powered by Beonic’s data and connected through our API, ensuring seamless communication between physical sensors and passenger facing screens, so critical data that optimises the passenger experience is communicated visually. This integration allows staff to dynamically adjust resources while passengers receive up-to-date information, enhancing their airport experience and reducing congestion.

Beonic’s technology collects and analyses millions of data points throughout the airport to provide real time insights into passenger flow and congestion. By integrating digital touchpoints and physical data streams, Beonic can transform static environments into intelligence spaces and drive efficiency, displaying the information in a digestible way.

Crucially, this launch was timed ahead of the peak holiday travel season, allowing PDX to handle surging volumes with agility. Passengers could access the same data via flypdx.com, extending the benefits beyond the terminal to pre-trip planning.

Enhancing Experiences and Driving Results

PDX passengers now have the information they need to choose quicker, less congested security queues, and maybe even linger a little longer at pre-security shops before boarding. This initiative demonstrates how anticipating and adapting to passenger needs fosters meaningful connections and enhances satisfaction.

Key Outcomes:

Enhanced Passenger Experience: Real-time data empowers travellers to make informed decisions, reducing uncertainty and stress.
Optimised Flow and Efficiency: By guiding passengers to less crowded checkpoints, congestion is reduced during peak hours.
Operational Transparency: TSA staff can respond swiftly to fluctuating demand, ensuring smoother day-to-day operations.

The Beonic Advantage: Bringing Places to Life with AI

At Beonic, we believe that physical spaces should actively respond to the people within them. The rollout of real-time wait time displays, powered by AI, has redefined the airport experience at PDX. By leveraging AI-driven insights, the system continuously learns from passenger flow patterns, allowing for smarter predictions and adjustments that benefit both travellers and airport operations

Our platform merges data, and technology to turn static environments into dynamic, intelligent places that foster transformed experiences and accelerated growth.

By collaborating with forward-thinking partners like PDX, we unlock the potential of data-driven automation, shaping the future of travel one intelligent place at a time.

The initiative quickly caught the attention of key media outlets, with coverage from The Oregonian and local broadcast stations highlighting the benefits of the new displays and featuring passenger testimonials on how the technology enhanced their travel experience.

To find out more, explore the full media coverage through the links below.