Changi Airport has long been a source of national pride and joy.
A world class airport that’s received multiple awards and accolades, it seems Changi Airport can do no wrong. With the unveiling of Terminal 4, Changi Airport has upped the ante, especially on the tech front.
The theme of Changi Terminal 4 is “vibrant, fun and positively surprising”, and passing through the airport, there are fun, surprising features lurking in places you might not expect. With petal motifs, an eclectic array of chairs and seating surfaces, and rounded lines permeating the space, the vibe of this terminal is certainly a change from that of Changi’s other terminals.
A Fully Automated Departure Process
One key difference between Terminal 4 and the rest of the terminals is that T4 boasts a fully automated departure process – a feature that may be particularly exciting for those of you who are constantly travelling.
This automation is helped by state-of-the-art facial recognition technology that’s integrated within the self-service stations that span every point of the departure process, from check-in to bag drop, to immigration, to boarding.
The benefit of that to travelers? Less queues, less waiting around, and greater convenience in general.
Many of you may already be familiar with some of these technologies, such as the automated check-in kiosk, automated bag drop and automated immigration gate. While not entirely new, T4 has implemented an added layer of security (i.e Facial Recognition Technology) to several of these self-service stations, i.e. bag drop and immigration.
At these stages, the self-service station will verify your identity with the use of photo captures of your face.
The boarding gate is also automated, and will also comprise a photo verification step. Hopefully, this will mean shorter waiting times when boarding your flight!
Centralised Security Screening
Owing to its relatively small size, Changi’s Terminal 4 will have a centralised security screening. That is, instead of getting your carry-on items checked at your gate, all passengers will have their carry-on luggage screened at one place.
This stage of the departure process boasts some shiny new pieces of tech and a long overdue solution to the bottlenecks that happen in the carry-on items screening process.
Instead of having to use multiple trays and to remove your laptop, phone, and all your devices at this point, at T4, you can just dump all your carry-on items into one large tray, and push that onto the conveyor belt. The items are then passed through a stronger hospital grade Computed Tomography scan for screening.
Bags that are good to go are streamed into one lane, and bags that are flagged are streamed into a second lane, where a security officer will instruct you to open your bag for a manual check. For bags that have no issue, simply remove your item(s). The tray will then disappear down a slot and be returned to the start of the line!
Automated Cleaning Auntie
Another thing – or job – that’s been automated at Changi’s Terminal 4 is cleaning.
You’ll notice adorable robots like these rolling around the airport, keeping the complex clean.
Dressed in the same yellow uniform as Changi’s cleaning staff, these “cleaning aunties” are able to detect objects in front of them, and will stop when an obstruction is detected; just make sure you don’t get in the way of them doing their jobs!
Immersive Entertainment Experiences
Those of us who’ve been to the airport often enough will know one thing about Changi Airport – it’s big on art.
With T4, Changi delivers a spectacular art-entertainment display in 2 locations – the Central Departure Security Screening Area and the Heritage Zone.
At the Central Departure Screening Area, you’ll find a 70m x 5m Immersive Wall. The LED display will show 1 of 17 different immersive pieces of content, each of which lasts between 2 – 4 minutes. Every 10 minutes, you’ll be treated to either a mesmerising display of ASEAN landmarks, the iconic sights and skyline of Singapore (e.g the Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay, the Esplanade), or an animation that will delight both young and old!
Another feature that floored us was the Peranakan Love Story at the Heritage Zone.
Upon entering the Heritage Zone, you’ll see a stretch of colourful shophouses. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice that if viewed from left to right, it shows the evolution of this style of home, from the Baroque design (1880 – 1900), to the Rococo style (1910-1920), to the Peranakan style (1920 -1936), to Modern decor (1936 – 1950).
A beautiful facade, you wouldn’t think two of these shophouses are in fact LED screens – that is, until it transforms into a theatre.
The digital wall transitions seamlessly into a theatre, screening the stunning Peranakan Love Story. The six-minute musical tells the story of a romance between two next door neighbors who are both passionate musicians. Look closely and you’ll notice familiar faces including Adrian Pang, Benjamin Kheng, Koh Chieng Mun and Amy Cheng. Created in collaboration with Singaporean composer and artiste, Dick Lee, the film is a visual spectacle with its effortless transitions and charming story.
See It All For Yourselves!
Curious to check out the tech and art for yourselves?
You won’t have to wait much longer because Changi Airport Terminal 4 will be conducting an open house from 7 – 20 August!
Head down, check out all the brand new features, and fantasize about your next adventure abroad while you’re there!
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