The Future of FIDS Is Here: Any Size, Any Shape, Any Source with Smart Airport Systems
- Abagael Rudock
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
As modern airports explore the next generation of FIDS, they’re doing more than a simple system update. They're rethinking how FIDS should work and what they can do.
Flight Information Display Systems (FIDS) have long been a key touchpoint of passenger communication. But as airport digital signage technology has evolved, so has the role of FIDS. Today, any and every screen in the terminal is an opportunity to engage passengers, reduce crowding, and support operations.
Ready to Flip Your FIDS?
Whether you’re exploring a small fix or envisioning a full airport-wide upgrade, Synect’s future-ready FIDS (and DCMS) can meet you where you are and scale as your needs evolve.
Smart Airport Systems Support Airport’s Goals and Enhance Passenger Experiences
Synect’s approach starts with a simple truth: modern FIDS is just another type of content. They’re an essential part of an airport’s content strategy and one of the best ways to engage passengers. But ultimately, it's often just tables of information with a bit of advertising squeezed in.
With Synect’s Digital Content Management System (DCMS), FIDS, GIDS, BIDS, and other information display systems become part of an airport-wide content strategy. Every screen works together to proactively meet passengers’ needs, supporting them at every step of their journey.
When content runs through a smart, airport-wide system, it becomes far more powerful. Passengers get one consistent, engaging, and effective experience that helps them across every touchpoint. Airports can consolidate their digital signage and content into a single, smart, automated system.
The opportunities to optimize and influence passenger behavior are endless. Long wait times near the gate become an opportunity to steer passengers towards concessions. Unoccupied time in the security queue can engage passengers with games, send-offs, or promotions.
Keep reading for a glimpse of the future of FIDS or get in touch with our team now to start the conversation.
Why the Future of FIDS Looks Different
Industry leader Ian Birnbaum, Project Manager at Burns Engineering, has noted a major shift: the value of airport digital real estate is no longer measured by how much information or advertising a screen can hold but by how it shapes the passenger journey.
Airports need systems that:
Adapt to changing needs
Integrate with every data source
Deliver the right message at the right moment
Increase revenue, reputation, and efficiency
That’s why leading airports are treating FIDS as dynamic content rather than a rigid, single-purpose system.
Any Screen. Any Source. Any Space.
Synect’s Passenger360® DCMS powers Synect’s FIDS, meaning your -IDS no longer operate in a silo. They can run alongside high-impact video, smart messaging, and dynamic programs, on a single screen or across the terminal.
Airports like MCO and GEG use this flexibility to:
Deploy FIDS on curved video walls, ribbons, portrait screens, and custom configurations
Blend flight data with wayfinding and destination content
Reduce congestion around displays with glance-and-go data
Share automatically updated, always accurate data across their airports, from curbside to gates and back.
Passenger360 isn’t tied to templates. It uses flexible, data-driven, rule-based layouts that can change automatically based on flight schedules, passenger volume, and more.
From One Display to an Airport-Wide Strategy
Smart, connected FIDS are no longer just lists of departures and arrivals. They’re key tools in shaping the entire airport experience.
With Synect's content strategy and DCMS, airports can:
Layer security, concessions, branding, or wayfinding messaging wherever it’s most helpful
Coordinate touchpoints across ticketing, checkpoints, gates, and baggage
Scale implementation from a single screen to a unified, airport-wide communication ecosystem
If your airport is ready for future-proof FIDS, Synect can help. Whether you’re ready for an airport-wide upgrade or just exploring your options, we’d love to talk.
