Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a special banner exhibit, “SDF Through the Years,” in the Jerry E. Abramson Terminal.
The 13-banner exhibit features historical photos from the 1940s to
the present and includes images of visits by United States Presidents, celebrities, as well as key airport partners such as UPS and the Kentucky Air National Guard 123rd Airlift Wing.
Here’s a preview.
The Kentucky Derby will take place on schedule this year on Saturday, May 1 and Louisville Muhammad International Airport (SDF) is decked out and ready to welcome Derby guests with lots of fresh roses.
Airports everywhere are continuing their “keep clean things clean” campaigns. Touchless tech helps, and we see Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) just added touchess/wave-to-call elevator buttons.
Cleveland is hosting the NFL Draft, with lots of bonus activities.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has a new exhibit celebrating the Super Bowl Halftime Show music and performers.
The Biggest Show on Turf: 55 Years of Halftime Shows will be on exhibit through September 21 and includes performance outfits, instruments, and set pieces, including Prince’s turquoise suit worn during his unforgettable purple-rained 2007 performance, where he asked production managers “Can you make it rain harder?” and Katy Perry’s beach-ball inspired costume and “Left Shark” that ignited a pop culture phenomenon after her 2015 performance.
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We’re declaring the virtual information booth an official trend at airports.
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) rolled out its Virtual Information Booth back in May 2020. The super social distanced system lets travelers connect with a volunteer Airport Ambassador in a remote location via a live video feed.
In July 2020 Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) introduced a pilot virtual assistant program in Terminal 2. That system lets passengers have real-time conversations with customer service agents over a touch-free tablet at the real-world information booth.
Two more U.S. airports now have virtual information booths as well.
The Virtual Information Desk at Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) is near the Southwest Airlines baggage claim belts 1-5. Passengers can get help from a Pathfinder staff member stationed in a safe, remote location.
During this holiday season, Denver International Airport (DEN) is testing a new Live Agent program. DEN’s program will let passengers interact with a live customer service agent via video, text messaging, and live chat.
At two information (one in the center of the terminal, near arrivals; one in the center of Concourse C) passengers can use iPads to contact a customer service agent for a virtual face-to-face interaction.
The customer service agents can also be reached through DEN’s website and via text chat.
The pilot program, in partnership with Recursive Labs, also allows a traveler to use the camera on their smartphone to show the Live Agent where they are in the airport so the agent can help with directions.
Our “5 Things We Love About...” series celebrates services and amenities at airports around the country and the world.
Today we land at Kentucky’s Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF).
Keep in mind that some of the features we love may be unavailable due to health concerns. We’re confident they’ll be back.
If we miss something you love about SDF Airport, or if you have an airport you’d like to be featured, please drop a note in the comments section below.
Louisville International Airport became Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) in 2019 to honor boxing legend and Louisville native Muhammad Ali.
Ali was born on January 17, 1942, and died on June 3, 2016. The Muhammad Ali Center, on Louisville’s Museum Row, explores his life.
Kentucky is bourbon country and we love that rocking chairs at SDF are made from bourbon barrel staves by local Wood Artisan Jason Cohen.
SDF has a Virtual Information Booth staffed by volunteers from the Airport Ambassador Program who answer questions from a remote spot in the airport. A perfect social distance solution to customer service and safety.
Louisville is home to the Urban Bourbon Trail and the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory.
So it’s good to know that travelers can purchase both bourbon and Louisville Slugger bats in the airport shops.
The SDF Wags program at Louisville Mohammad International Airport kicked off in 2019.
Certified pet therapy animals and their handlers visit the airport terminal two to three times a week to help make the travel experience less stressful.
We love airport mascots, plain and simple, and the mascot at SDF – named Skye- is one of our favorites.
Here’s some of the airport news that caught our attention today.
Our first encounter with a video help desk was at the massive Istanbul Airport in October 2019.
It seemed odd but, then, efficient to step up to what seemed like an unstaffed information desk and then have a live video chat with someone located offsite.
But now video chats are the socially distanced way to get questions answered in an airport.
As of May 2020, volunteer Airport Ambassadors staff the Virtual Information Booth at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF).
And now Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is running a Virtual Assistance pilot program in Terminal 2.
Travelers can have real-time video conversations with a customer services specialist over a touch-free tablet system installed at the information booth.
As health safety and social distancing concerns continue, we expect to see more airports offering some sort of virtual help desk.
Like most airports now, Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) is implementing new health and safety measures in its terminal.
We like the no-nonsense social distancing signage and floor decals.
And we are impressed that instead of waiting months for out-of-stock hand-sanitizing stations and plexiglass barriers, the Facilities and Engineering team at SJC is making its own.
Grab, the time-saving app that lets you order from an airport restaurant and then go straight to the pick-up line to get your meal is partnering with AtYourGate, the service that lets you order airport food via an app and have it delivered to you wherever you are in the terminal.
The partnership makes sense on many levels but is perfectly timed for these ‘no-touch’ times.
Grab already operates in over 50 airports in 4 countries. AtYourGate serves 10 airports now, with 40 more to be served in short order.
