Walla Walla Regional Airport Upgrades with Boon Edam Security Entrance to Better Meet TSA Requirements
The cost for a security guard to watch the doors was prohibitive, so our architect suggested a one-way security revolving door. Jennifer Skoglund, Airport Manager, Walla Walla Regional Airport
Past News Releases
RSSLillington, North Carolina (PRWEB) October 20, 2015
Boon Edam Inc., the leader in security entrances and architectural revolving doors in the Americas, today announced that Walla Walla Regional Airport, in Washington State, has installed a Boon Edam revolving door to upgrade security and ensure tighter Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) compliance.
The original airport building was constructed in 2000. As built, there were two sliding doors that passengers entered through between the main terminal and the tarmac. “The sliding door arrangement allowed passengers to exit the airplane, walk on a designated walkway and enter the lobby waiting area. Unfortunately, passengers could go back out the doors if they forgot something on the plane,” explained Jennifer Skoglund, Airport Manager, Walla Walla Regional Airport.
TSA security protocols require that once passengers have entered a non-secure area, like the terminal building, or passed a certain point in other airports, they cannot backtrack and certainly should not be able to return to the tarmac or to the parked planes in the secure area without first having to go through security again. “We had a few instances where passengers breached the sliding doors and went back outside towards the aircraft, where airline personnel stopped them and returned them to the terminal building,” said Skoglund.
This situation was not only unsafe on several levels, it meant that airline personnel were sometimes distracted from their main jobs in order to provide security. Skoglund again, “We knew we needed a better solution to meet security requirements, and in late 2014, we started looking at some alternatives. The cost for a security guard to watch the doors was prohibitive, so our architect suggested a one-way security revolving door. We visited a nearby airport to see how their door worked. We saw it handled traffic well and wouldn’t allow people to go the wrong way—and a guard wasn’t necessary to achieve that.”
Walla Walla airport worked with the FAA to secure Airport Improvement Funds (AIP) to make the renovations and purchase a new Boon Edam Tourlock 120S one-way security revolving door, which was commissioned into service in February of 2015. Now, passengers enter the building from the tarmac first through a sliding door and then flow into the revolving door that deposits them into the terminal. If people attempt to go the wrong way, the weight detection mats on the floor and the overhead sensors signal the door to stop and an audible message instructs the person to back out of the door.
“The new door set-up brings people into the terminal in a secure fashion. This upgrade has taken care of any security issues, and we’re happy about that,” reported Skoglund. “What we have now is what we need and eventually when we expand our secure waiting room area, we’ll move the current revolving door to the appropriate new location.
Walla Walla will probably need to do some expansion in the near future. Today’s traffic of upwards to 7,000 passengers per month is sure to increase, given the region’s growing reputation for fine wine, in addition to the already-famous Walla Walla onion.
Not only does the combination of the slider and revolving door provide added security, Skoglund also remarked that the doors do a great job keeping the terminal waiting area cool in the summer and warm in the winter as well as preventing prevailing winds from entering the terminal.
For Further Information, Please Contact:
Tracie Thomas
Marketing Manager
T 910 814 8113
E tts(at)boonedam(dot)us
For Media Queries, Please Contact:
Bruce Doneff
Public Relations
T 843 476 3022
E Doneff(at)verizon(dot)net
About Royal Boon Edam
With work environments becoming increasingly global and dynamic, the entry has become the center of activity in and around many buildings. As the importance of the entry as a mobility hotspot increases, the demands we put on managing the passage of people through them grow. Royal Boon Edam is a global market leader in entry solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, with 140 years of experience in engineering quality, we have gained extensive expertise in managing the movement of people through office buildings, airports, healthcare facilities, hotels and many other types of buildings. We are focused on providing an optimal experience for our clients and their clients. By working together with you, our client, we help determine the exact requirements for the mobility hotspot in and around your building and develop a solution that is customized for you in three key areas: sustainability, security and service. You can find more news about Boon Edam on http://www.boonedam.us/newsroom.