Friday, 3 April 2020

Fly by Read airport concept


                           


                    Recently, while I was waiting at our headquarters, Airport terminal 1, I saw a collection of books were left on the floor. It looks like it was left by a passenger who wanted to get rid of some excess weight. Even though I was interested to read those books I was aware that we are not allowed to take anything which does not belong to us, as airport staff. It is interesting how my mind started to notice a bunch of books lain on the floor out of many things to see in the airport vicinity. I believe it is a subconscious act. 

                    Have you ever been constantly pushed by a sentence which you don’t understand at all? Well, my literature teacher told me on many occasions that “reading maketh the man” or “Reading makes you perfect”. Well, if you think reading is boring, yes, I was one of those categories a year ago from now. I never understood the importance of reading when my teacher told me or even till I get to my mid-thirties. I found the meaning of reading through my failures, depressions, mistakes and demotivation’s all that count me to find a way out, get a little bit of diplomat, make more sense while talking and urge to have some sharp-hit words to get my work done is all that pushed me to start reading.

                    Aviation industry is kept on growing day by day. So much of technology involved. Simple handwritten coupon-ticket back in the seventies had now become a book through at your fingertip. More personalized service to passengers, enormous non-aeronautical facilities at airports promoting brands, products, and extended services. Over 4.3 Billion passengers traveled globally in 2018 and the number is kept on increasing. With the demands of ever-increasing passenger numbers and non-aeronautical services, it is possible that any start-up business can be excelled with the right direction.

                                                           

                    I have started this article with the importance of books and next how it affects me to set goals in life. On the third paragraph, I have explained a method to bring awareness of reading and at the same time generate non-aeronautical revenue related to reading. So, I want to bring the concept of having a library inside every major airport. It is a worthy cause to educate people while on travel. It can be a component to measure the standard of the airport by ACI (airport council international).


                    Well, despite local authorities, I think this initiative can be entertained by the spoken audio entertainment companies such as audible, google playbooks, librivox, libbi, Oodies, kobo, Kendal are some of them. Not limiting to have just books for reading while passengers on travel, but to promote spoken audio entertainment at a minimal cost, buy the latest products and updates, sell refreshment products to readers (coffee and drinks), make arrangement to send books to friends and family locally or internationally. I believe there will be other services can provide along with this facility.


                     Further, to have libraries across all the airport terminals where anyone can access and find their own piece of book for reading and leave it at the same place once you leave the premises. Promoting audio-related reading products, having a coffee shop and soft drink products to consume for readers while reading, self-kiosk desks to order a book that you want, deliver where ever you want comes under revenue category and for sure there will be more promotional added services that we can come up with. The idea is being already put in practice starting from Amsterdam’s Schiphol international airport, Helsinki, Taiwan’s Taoyuan international airport and Florida’s Hollywood international airport over the past few years. However, the concept is still open for multi-functional operating facility at a massive airport hub.


                    The sole purpose of the idea is to educate a society where enrich culture, bring awareness, create an impact on reading for a better tomorrow. With the ever-increasing numbers at airports and technology involvement at a higher phase, a little bit of time out of busy schedule while traveling would be ideal and it is a noble milestone to involve and improve the habit of reading among society. 


https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fly-read-concept-having-multi-functional-future-ajith-fernando/                                     

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