In July, when the computerized avatars begin offering automated information at LaGuardia’s Central Terminal Building, at Newark’s Terminal B and at JFK’s Terminal 5, it will be the first time the hologram-like technology will be used at a North American airport.

Other improvements to be rolled out in the next 90 days include additional (live) customer care agents during peak travel times, an expanded effort to halt taxi hustling, the installation of additional power poles to charge electronic devices and cleaner restroom facilities.

Here are some more details from the plan:

At Newark Liberty, more than 100 chairs and more than 50 tables will be added to food courts in Terminals A and B, full-time restroom attendants will be on duty in Terminal A and additional quality control visits will be made to airport stores “to ensure customers are treated fairly.”

Newark, JFK, LaGuardia (and Stewart International Airport) are now included in the free FlySmart mobile app that offers real-time flight notifications for smart phones, terminal maps and basic listings for ground transportation and concessions.

The Port Authority is also starting a “We Listen” campaign to give travelers a chance to meet with airport management.

These short-term initiatives, the Port Authority points out, dovetail with the agency’s long-term efforts to improve the infrastructure at all three airports.

It all sounds promising. Except perhaps for those virtual assistants. In the promo “AVA” says she never takes a vacation, but when I arrived at Dubai International Airport recently, the representative meeting our group said the virtual assistants that were supposed to be on duty there hadn’t been working “for quite some time.”

The airport Lobby Zones are meant to give travelers a taste of what the chain’s new lobby decor offers, but you don’t have to have a hotel reservation to pull up a chair, hang out and recharge your gear.

Find them at BWI on Concourse A, at Phoenix Sky Harbor in Terminal 4 and in Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Terminal E.

On Wednesday, May 18^th, 2011, Oakland International Airport will put into service eight ChargePoint networked charging stations for “new generation” electric vehicle (EV) such as the Chevrolet Volt, the Nissan LEAF, Tesla Roadsters and others.

Los Angeles International Airport now has a cadre of bomb-sniffing canines on duty who are trained not just to sniff out explosives, but to pick up the scent of explosives in the air and track down the person who may be carrying the explosive material -even if that person is on the move.

And some time next year there will be a new food hall on Delta’s Concourse G at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport filled with new food and beverage outlets that are branches of, or partnerships with, local favorites.

The $2 billion concourse upgrade will include a Media Bar that OTG Management is billing as the first virtual newsstand. Passengers will be able to rent an iPad and download publications, movies, music, apps and other items before boarding a plane. (Those with their own iPads will be able to download material as well.) If you do rent an iPad, you’ll be provided with a postpaid envelope so you can mail the iPad back when you’re done.

The OTG Media Bar is going launch at MSP airport, but plans are already in place expand the program to other locations.

I knew they were there somewhere. But they weren’t by my gate in the Delta Air Lines terminal at JFK.

And there weren’t any signs.

So it was a good thing I set off in search of an outlet to charge my laptop before a long flight.

Because there, just a few minutes walk from where I’d been sitting, was the iPad “village” everyone had been talking about a few months back.

Tables for one. Tables for two. Communal work tables. All equipped with multiple outlets and with iPads that let travelers order snacks and meals from the restaurants nearby.

So very civil.

So, please, Terminal 3 operators, put up some signs.

Arconas – a company whose chairs and “seating configurations” are already in more than 130 airports around the world – is teaming up with Powermat – the folks who make wireless charging mats – to offer wireless charging stations at airports.

I’m going to assume charging via Powermat will be complimentary – as it is to use to the USB and standard power outlets already attached to much of this type of airport seating.

And if that’s the case – hooray!! Another reason to be happy when you find yourself stuck at the airport.

As part of its Liberty Weekend festivities, the Orlando International Airport (MCO) will present a free concert by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert will take place at 8 pm, on Saturday June 26, 2010 in the atrium of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, which doubles as the public lobby area for gates 60 to 129.  All attendees will get three hours of complimentary airport parking.

Saturday June 26^th and Sunday June 27th, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, unticketed visitors are invited into Silicon Valley’s Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) for a sneak peek at the new high-tech Terminal B.  The new building includes seating areas with built-in power ports and public art that includes German multi-media artist’s Bjoern Schuelke’s Space Observer, an interactive, two-story tall robot-like structure with three legs and propeller-equipped arms.

(Watch a Space Observer movie.)

Registered visitors will be able to walk through the terminal, see the art, buy a souvenir and enter drawings for prizes that will include airline tickets and travel packages.

If you plan on visiting the terminal, you’ll need to register in advance on the SJC website by Wednesday, June 23^rd and pick the day and time you want to stop by.

In the meantime, here’s a link to a great photo slide show of the San Jose Airport through the years from The Mercury News.

Now, with the installation of five free power poles, everyone can recharge all their gadgets for free and access the Internet even they don’t have a laptop with them.

According to this article, each pole is equipped with a 22-inch LCD monitor and a computer unit and outfitted with two power socket outlets and four USB ports.

Free Wi-Fi and free charging poles are great.  But the airport also has a nine-hole golf course, an aviation discovery center, a game zone with sports simulators, and lots of other entertaining ways to spend your time when you’re stuck at the airport.

Add your discoveries – and remember to pack your power strip.

There are now 50 free 4-outlet charging stations scattered through Terminals A, B, and C at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).

The charging stations are courtesy of Samsung Mobile, which sponsors similar power charging stations at five other major airports (so far): John F. Kennedy International Airport (54), Los Angeles International Airport (51) LaGuardia International Airport (12), Orlando International Airport (18), and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (22). In addition, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has eight Samsung Mobile Travel Centers, which also offer couches and other amenities.

Power charging stations (both free and pay-per-charge), desks with working power outlets, and banks of seats with built in outlets seem to be popping up at more and more airports these days. But don’t leave your extension cord home just yet: during high traffic times a spot at the charging station is harder to get than a seat in the sports bar during a playoff game.

I had a chance to visit the terminal a few weeks back as finishing touches were being put on the baggage system and gate areas and it really looks lovely. It’s bright and airy and full of amenities travelers are sure to appreciate.

For example, in addition to a children’s play area and free wireless Internet access, there are plenty of well-marked and easy-to-get-to power outlets. Those white power plug graphics on the chair backs tell you that the seat is “hot.”