Visitors to Northwest Arkansas National Airport will be able to go past the security checkpoint starting later this month to enjoy amenities that were once just for those flying.
They’ll also be able to get a quick cup of coffee from a robot barista.
The guest pass program is for non-travelers. There is no cost for the passes.
“This will allow you or family members or friends to go wait for somebody at the gate or come eat a meal with your family before they fly out,” said Andrew Branch, chief operating officer. “You’ll get a pass, it looks like a boarding pass and you can go through the TSA checkpoint and go out there and spend money and hang out at no cost.”
People can register for a guest pass in the downstairs lobby where the TSA PreCheck application desk is located, then go through Transportation Security Administration security, according to airport officials.
Northwest Arkansas National Airport is also introducing Bionics By Onyx, an automated coffee kiosk which will use a Cafe X coffee robot to make and serve coffee by the cup. Rogers-based Onyx Coffee Lab will operate the kiosk, using their coffees.
Bionics By Onyx will use a robotic arm that operates professional coffee machines. Customers will place their orders via a touchscreen system, and the coffee robot will make their drink to order. The kiosk will have a large glass panel so customers you can watch the robot at work. Each cup takes about 20 seconds, according to Cafe X.
People will still be required to clean the equipment daily and resupply milk, coffee and other ingredients.
The Onyx coffee robot will be in Concourse A next to Smokewood American Grill. Airport officials expect the shop to be operational late this month.
Cafe X opened its first robotic cafe in a San Francisco shopping center in 2017. San Francisco’s airport has a Cafe X robotic coffee bar.
Travelers can sign up for TSA PreCheck in the Northwest Arkansas National Airport terminal now, according to airport officials. The kiosk is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments can be made online or walk-up. Airport officials said 30 to 40 people a day have been signing up.
TSA PreCheck is a membership program that offers dedicated airport security lines and streamlined screening at a few hundred airports across the U.S. Travelers with TSA PreCheck can keep their shoes on and leave their liquids and laptops in their bags.
Source : Arkansas Online