Orlando International Airport

Building the Future of Airport Communication

How MCO engages passengers and enhances operations at the award-winning Terminal C with airport-wide communication from Synect

Challenge

Orlando International Airport’s state-of-the-art Terminal C encompasses 300 acres and adds 15 gates to the airport. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) turned to long-term innovation partner Synect to help welcome, engage, and assist passengers across the full airport experience using visual communication. Similar to Terminals A and B, the new terminal would feature hundreds of connected digital displays showing custom content from Synect and live data from airport systems. Terminal C had to:

Deliver an engaging, delightful passenger experience on par with the new facility’s stunning design and architecture
Extend the GOAA’s Orlando Experience® design concept and existing visual communication system to the new terminal
Maintain ease of system operations to avoid increased complexity for airport stakeholders

Finally, the system and content program had to be delivered on time to support the successful September 2022 Terminal C launch.

Approach

Synect developed a unique approach of linking experiences from check-in to gates. Rather than individual screens working in a silo, all screens are connected through one system, allowing the airport to deliver a true end-to-end passenger journey and communication program. The approach also allows the airport to launch new, evolved communication strategies that enhance passenger experience and align with the dynamic airport environment and operations.

Synect extended its Passenger360® visual communication ecosystem from Terminals A and B to the new terminal. Like a digital signage network, one central location manages all displays.

The Passenger360 system differs from traditional digital signage by offering the airport automated, hands-off operation, the ability to power video walls and digital canvases of any size, screen, or resolution, and a content-first visual information program that embodies GOAA’s Orlando Experience® design concept.

Synect’s studio developed custom content programs for the new terminal, featuring massive live-action panoramic video celebrating the Florida region alongside dynamically updated travel information from integrated airport systems.

Power in Numbers

Solution

Helpful, dynamic information and vivid multimedia content play on massive video walls and connected digital displays to guide airport visitors across their full passenger journey. The network provides a new way to implement, measure, and refine behavioral strategies. Smart passenger communication includes automatically updated dynamic travel information. The information responds to airport data in real-time, and it is presented inside engaging, ultra-high-definition video that celebrates the region and brands the airport experience. The content created by GOAA and Synect embodies MCO’s Orlando Experience® design concept. It is driven by Synect’s Passenger360® approach and visual communication platform, which passengers experience at:

Ticketing
Security
Info Desks
Concessions
Gates
Arrivals
Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
International and domestic baggage claim
Ground transport
Wayfinding throughout the terminal

The Passenger360 system addresses thousands of changes per second, such as flight or weather changes, and it equips passengers with reliable, curated information to empower them on their journey. Passenger360 helps airports address the many variables of a hyper-dynamic terminal environment by increasing both responsiveness and the number of scenarios handled simultaneously.

The content strategy includes live-action video footage of Orlando and the Central Florida region, engaging animations, high-visibility wayfinding, changing travel data, seasonal celebrations, and more. It blends dynamic airport information about airlines, flights, and facilities with eye-catching video to entertain and delight passengers and enhance operations. 876 connected screens play the content across the system. Every piece of content is custom-created to fit the vision, brand, and digital canvases at the new Terminal C.

Results

Terminal C opened to passengers on time on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. The Points Guy celebrated the new terminal in this first-look article by Ethan Klapper, calling it “artful,” “futuristic,” and “high-tech.”

Axios’ Alex Fitzpatrick promised that the terminal’s opening promised passengers “one of the country's most tech-forward airport experiences.”

Jodi Richards of Airport Improvement Magazine expanded upon how smart integration enables the visual communication program. She wrote: “Like the airport’s North Terminal, the new Terminal C uses Synect’s Passenger360 visual communication platform, which manages and controls communication content and displays at key touch points of the passenger journey. It integrates with MCO’s other operations-oriented systems to automatically update messaging and information based on real-time airport activity, flight schedules and other triggers.”

In a Simple Flying article, Tom Draper, GOAA Chief of Operations, said, “We put the focus on the passenger in every design decision at Terminal C, which is the result of extensive airport communication innovation between GOAA and Synect. The program will help engage passengers at the major touchpoints of their journey while reflecting real-time airport activity including estimated wait times.”

In 2023, GOAA and Synect won a Digital Signage Experience (DSE) Award. The awards, also known as the DIZZIE Awards, celebrate groundbreaking installations and campaigns that challenge existing standards and drive the industry forward. The visual ecosystem at Orlando International Airport’s Terminal C won the 2023 DSE Award for Public Spaces.

Enhance Experience & Operations

Welcome and guide passengers from check-in to gate and back