• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, May 21, 2013

The Chicago City Council has awarded Clear Channel Airports a five-year contract, with the option for five additional one-year extensions, to implement indoor digital signage programs for O’Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport.

In addition to improving the airport experience for travelers with interactive displays delivering information in real-time, the contracts are expected to yield over $25 million a year in revenues for the City of Chicago from advertising and sponsorships using the signage.
 
The new digital signage program for O’Hare and Midway consists of 400 digital displays, including a 360-degree digital globe suspended from the ceiling of O’Hare’s Terminal 3, as well as two digital overhangs composed of 60 LCD screens with a total surface area of 412 square feet.

CCA will also create a network of interactive digital directories with information about airport amenities and Chicago-area attractions, such as restaurants, hotels -- and install free charging stations with embedded digital tablets in passenger areas at both airports.
 
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel stated that the airport programs will include “cutting-edge technology that will inform and entertain travelers, and help them better navigate Chicago’s airports. The agreements also provide opportunities for disadvantaged business enterprises and will optimize concession revenues to the airport.”
 
O’Hare served 66.8 million passengers in 2012, while Midway served roughly 19.5 million, including a record-setting 9.7 million departing passengers, according to the latest figures from Chicago’s Department of Aviation. In 2011, O’Hare was the second-busiest airport in the U.S., after Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson.
 
Elsewhere in the transportation grid, the Chicago Transit Authority gave Titan a five-year extension in February, making it the exclusive representative for the CTA’s static and digital media through the end of 2019. As part of the extended deal, Titan will install around 100 new digital screens in the Chicago loop, replacing the static panels located at subway entrances and exits.