Eliminating delays: How Metropolis changes air travel
November 25th, 2025
Air travel is too often defined by one thing: delay.
More than just cancellations or bad weather, the issue stems from constant micro-delays that stack up across your journey. You wait to enter the parking lot, circle for a spot, wait for a shuttle, fumble for your ID at a checkpoint, stand at a carousel waiting for bags — the friction never seems to end.
Even when your flights are on time, the experience rarely is. With an estimated 31 million Americans traveling by air over this year’s Thanksgiving period, those delays, and passenger stress levels, compound quickly.
Metropolis is on a path to remove delays. We’re fundamentally changing the travel experience by eliminating repetition and infusing everyday moments with context and continuity. We’re building a future where access is instant and experiences are responsive — not because you tap, scan or verify, but because your presence is enough.
Why travel gets stuck
Most travel infrastructure was built for transactions. It assumes you’re a stranger at every touchpoint — someone who must re-identify themselves over and over again.
The process breaks down because the infrastructure relies on friction to validate identity:
Parking depends on gates, tickets and kiosks
Check-in requires documents
Club access requires credentials
Boarding requires verification
Baggage claim requires waiting on site
The process only begins once you arrive, forcing you to stop and prove who you are at every step. Delays happen because the environment doesn’t know you.
Fixing the root cause
As we pioneer the Recognition Economy, a new age of personalized intelligence where presence and context replace devices and credentials everywhere, Metropolis is transforming the airport experience. Using AI and Computer Vision, we enable built airport environments to recognize travelers the moment they arrive, eliminating the verification loops that slow everyone down.
A presence-based journey looks different:
Instant access: Enter the parking facility without stopping or taking a ticket — just drive in and drive out
Smarter flow: Airports can adjust staffing and shuttles in real time because they know travelers are arriving
Friction-free services: From valet to luggage delivery, services are unlocked by your presence — no tickets, kiosks or additional payment steps
Why aviation Partners are moving first
More than 75 airports already partner with Metropolis to reduce friction and improve performance. For aviation leaders, delays impact more than satisfaction, hitting throughput, staffing, NPS and revenue.
In the Recognition Economy, Partners see shorter lines, reduced curb and parking congestion, higher traveler satisfaction and loyalty, more predictable demand and increased revenue. Presence goes beyond improving the traveler experience — it strengthens the entire operation.
A Thanksgiving trip without the stall
Imagine a holiday journey where the world moves at the speed of you.
You enter the lot without stopping for a ticket — a spot is already waiting. The shuttle wait time shortens to accommodate increased passenger volume. Your bags are delivered to your destination.
This is the standard we’re building. Metropolis is transforming airports into responsive, AI-powered environments built around real-time recognition. We’re building a world where you can move through your journey stress-free, focusing on the things that matter instead of compounding delays.
