From vanishing boarding passes to grungy old security bins, airports are leaving the past behind and ready for takeoff into a smoother, more streamlined future
10 Things You Won’t See in Airports Anymore
Updated on Apr. 01, 2025
Paper tickets and boarding passes
Nothing has changed the way we fly as much as smartphones. With mobile check-ins and digital wallets storing boarding passes, paper tickets are rapidly becoming a relic of the past. I still occasionally print out my tickets as a backup—especially when I have a connection and worry about losing service or my phone dying—but more often than not, those slips of paper end up as makeshift bookmarks, and the habit is slowly fading.
Full-service check-in counters
On a recent flight to El Salvador, I was directed to a traditional check-in counter to drop off my checked luggage, while other passengers breezed through self-check in kiosks. After a painfully glacial wait—during which a family checked in luggage holding what seemed like a small department store’s worth of goods and a man weighed his dog (and its giant crate) on the scale—it was finally my turn. Meanwhile, dozens of passengers using the self-check-in options were swiftly on their way. While self-service kiosks once felt like more of a hassle than a help, they’ve become so much more efficient and quick that many airlines are scaling back full-service check-in counters as more passengers embrace these digital alternatives.
Paper customs forms
I used to panic if I didn’t pack a pen while on a return flight from an international destination. The reason? Those blue U.S. Customs and Border Protection entry forms (technically known as CBP 6059B) that flight attendants passed out (pens not provided), causing passengers to scramble to scrounge up writing utensils from their bags or borrow from fellow travelers. The advent of automated passport control kiosks at many airports, mobile declarations and programs like Global Entry mean passengers can now submit their customs declarations electronically. While paper customs forms are still in use in some locations and by certain travelers, they’re becoming much less common.
Slow security checkpoints
Believe it or not, backups at security checkpoints are starting to disappear (though that’s cold comfort if you’re stuck in a slow line on those notoriously busiest travel days). According to aviation expert and former assistant director of security at Denver International Airport, Jeffrey Price, security lines and queue management are evolving on multiple fronts. With the rapid growth of TSA PreCheck, more passengers are using these lanes, which tend to move faster. “Due to PreCheck, not everyone has to go through the Automated Imaging Devices (aka body imagers),” Price explains. Instead, those with PreCheck pass through faster, less-intrusive “old school” metal detectors.
Additionally, some airports are allowing passengers to keep their shoes on, and liquids and laptops in their bags. “This is a result of newer screening technologies such as Computed Tomography, essentially medical-grade cat-scans, which provide a better image in three dimensions for the Transportation Security Officers,” Price says.
He notes that devices are leading to fewer pat-downs, as the scanners provide more accurate data about what passengers are carrying. “Body imaging devices, known as Millimeter Wave Imaging, are changing from the traditional ‘telephone booth’ model to an open system,” he says. “The open MMW system is slightly faster and less inconvenient than the previous system, which required passengers to stand with their arms in the air.”
Biometric identification at checkpoints has also been a game-changer. “TSA personnel no longer have to inspect boarding passes as passengers pass through the metal detector or body imaging device,” Price adds.
Tiny security bins and disgruntled officers
Security bins are getting a major upgrade. “As newer automated carry-on baggage screening systems replace older manual systems, security bins have gotten larger to the point where they can fit the entire rollaboard-style bag,” says security expert Price. He also points out that these modern systems ensure bins don’t back up. “Bin returns on newer systems are automated, so no more waiting on a TSA officer to stack and drag bins back on a rolling cart from one side of the checkpoint to the other,” he says.
Congested lounge areas
Modern terminal design is addressing hold room congestion as airports look for ways to more comfortably accommodate the rising number of passengers flowing through facilities every year. “At Pensacola International Airport, we are incorporating ‘hold room of the future’ elements into our concourse expansion,” says Ken Ibold, the deputy airport director of Pensacola International Airport in Florida. This includes shared hold room areas between gates to take advantage of different airline boarding schedules, offering a variety of seating options like tabletops, workstations and lounge chairs, and providing blended concession seating to ensure passengers can remain at a comfortable distance from their departure gate, even while grabbing a bit to eat.
Closed gates for non-passengers
The nostalgia of picking up or dropping off passengers directly at their gate in an airport is making a modern-day comeback. This past winter, San Antonio International Airport introduced the SAT Pass program, one of the latest initiatives in the country, allowing non-ticketed individuals to access airport gates. This non-passenger access credential allows those who don’t have a ticket to travel to be screened and pass through security checkpoints, something that has largely been restricted since 9/11. “Obtaining an SAT Pass allows our visitors to spend more time with their friends and family or shop and dine at the airport,” the San Antonio Airport states on its website. Prospective visitors can apply for the pass up to seven days in advance, with TSA reviewing the applications. Once approved, visitors must present a TSA-approved photo ID at a security checkpoint, and the pass is only valid for a specific date until 9 p.m. San Antonio joins other airports now offering similar programs, including Philadelphia International Airport, Orlando International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Pay phones
When was the last time you saw—let alone used—a payphone? With nearly everyone carrying a mobile device, payphones have become almost obsolete. “We still have them in four different locations, but with everyone carrying one around, it’s an idea whose time is gone,” says Ibold.
Smoking lounges
Often, when flying out of Rome to the United States, I pass a hazy, glass-enclosed smoking area tucked away near some restrooms in my terminal. The walls don’t do a very great job containing the fumes, so each time I see it, I’m reminded of how rare these spaces have become—particularly in the U.S., where most airports have long since relegated smokers to designated outdoor areas.
Soulless airport design
One thing I can get behind no longer seeing in airports? Outdated, gloomy, and uninspiring terminals. More and more airports are prioritizing design when remodeling or expanding terminals. Ibold notes that Pensacola International Airport, for example, is developing a new terminal with five additional gates. The expanded space features an open floor plan bathed in natural light and a sloped roof designed to evoke the sand dunes of nearby Pensacola Beach. Up north, in New York City, LaGuardia Airport, once denigrated by then-Vice President Joe Biden in 2014 as resembling something out of a “third-world country,” has undergone a multibillion-dollar transformation into a shining example of modern airport design. As a Delta frequent flyer, I used to avoid the airport like the plague due to the airline’s notoriously outdated and cramped quarters. Now, its new home in Terminal C feels nothing short of luxe, with soaring windows and stunning commissioned artworks, including Departing Impression, a massive 34-panel digital mural in the airline’s departure hall.
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Sources:
- Jeffrey Price, former assistant director of security at Denver International Airport and professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver; email interview, March 2025
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection: CBP Form 6059B Customs Declaration
- Ken Ibold, deputy airport director at Pensacola International Airport.
- SAT Pass San Antonio
