BY THE NUMBERS

The new Terminal 2 at Incheon Airport has much to commend it. The public spaces are thoughtfully designed. The use of tall ceilings and trees makes it feel calm and quiet. The transit lounges where passengers can rest free of charge are excellent.

In its strive for modernity, however, the digital element of the airport needs to be more fully considered. One example was on a recent transit flight I made. There was no transit desk and I had to go through an unmanned electronic gate to transit. It told me to input my flight number but displayed examples with alphanumeric flight codes while only having a numeric keypad. It took me some minutes of frustration before I realised that the number element alone was what was needed.

Technology can be a good thing but not when it worsens rather than improves existing time-tested approaches.

Christopher Ruane, UK