If you're like me, you haven't stepped foot in an airport in over half a year.
When we eventually do, we'll enter a whole new world. It'll look a lot like the one before, but will be fundamentally transformed.
The way things are looking, some airlines might not be around anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if we see government-brokered takeovers similar to the financial sector in the last recession, but that's a topic for another time.
The changes I'm referring to are all related to technology, and they may be our only hope to save private sector air travel.
Back in mid-March, a nightmare scenario was unfolding at one of the busiest airports in the U.S.A. People were stuck in lines with no end in sight, packed in like cattle.
They had no idea why, outside of screening for the new virus, nor what was required of them.
Passengers waited in one line just to move to another. Some reported waits of up to five hours, all in situations like the one above.
There was no separation between those who may have been exposed and those at the highest risk of infection or complications.
Yes, a lot has changed since then, but the fundamental reality of our current situation is that our airports are not built to handle the new safety measures with the kind of passenger volume that airlines need to stay viable.
One day, all those passengers are going to come back, and airports are racing to change how they work however they can to prepare.
Some of the new tech will be obvious.
There will be robots using high-pressure water and disinfectant sprays coupled with UV-C light to eradicate any microbes.
Airports were already investing in touchless tech to speed up boarding. Now that is going into overdrive. It will bleed over into more self-service kiosks, bag drop-offs, and gate checks.
Facial recognition will be used in place of tickets and possibly even passports. We'll use more mobile apps and interactions between our personal devices and airport and airline computers.