If you’ve ever felt frustration trying to navigate an airport, a new app created by students at the University of North Texas – College of Business might help to ease your travel woes.
Unveiled in May at the American Association of Airport Executives in Houston, the app- Paeros- allowed a team of UNT students to rise to the top at the annual conference’s student research competition. The competition was the first time students from UNT’s aviation logistics program had competed in an external competition, but that did not deter the team- which included David Looney, Austin Stromberg, Hong Yun Yong, and Michael Hafner- from taking first place.
David Looney, captain of the team and president of the UNT chapter of the association, compared the app to using ‘Google Maps’ inside an airport, “[b]ut what makes this unique is the capability for airport personnel to tap into the system to increase the safety and situational awareness for both customers and employees.
Although many individual airports have their own apps for navigating the space, Paeros is revolutionary in its ability to combine data from airports nationwide into a single app. With the ability to download a single app and yet navigate any airport in the country, passengers can save valuable time and money during travel. Another feature of the app allows users to share their location using micro-location iBeacons. If a passenger is running late for a flight or has safety concerns, they can use this feature to notify carriers or airport managers, helping to make air travel safer and less stressful.
Steve Joiner, faculty advisor for the team and aviation logistics faculty at UNT, commented on the program’s unique business approach to aviation education. “Other institutes have aviation degrees with a business application,” Joiner said, “and while the difference may be nuanced, it has a huge impact in the actual business application to the industry.”