Airports stall on high-tech

Self-destructing DVDs that you can take on a plane, watch on your laptop, then throw away. Antimicrobial disposable floor mats that prevent the spread of foot fungi at airport security checkpoints. Futuristic, driverless cars that transport travelers between terminals.

These are among the amenities and technologies companies hawked at the Airports Council International's annual conference at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center last month. But the features can be tough to sell at a time when airports increasingly are looking for ways to reduce costs and boost revenue as they face fewer flights and passengers.

"This is a slow business to get into," said Peter J. Muller, president of PRT Consulting, who was at the conference trying to find a second airport behind London's Heathrow Airport to purchase a system of computer-driven pod cars that run on rails and cost a minimum of $10 million per one-way mile of track.

"It takes airports a long time to decide what they want to do. And once they figure out what they want to do, the timing might not be right."

At Logan International Airport in Boston, the timing isn't right. "This year, especially with the way the budget is, we don't have the discretionary money," said David S. Ishihara, Logan's director of aviation operations. Deciding on whether to bring a new amenity to Logan, he added, "boils down to four key things: safety, security, customer service, and the environment.

Logan recently set aside $250,000 to install by the end of June 520 Arconas seats outfitted with electricity and USB outlets, so travelers can charge their cellphones, laptops, and other electronics. But Ishihara said the airport would consider testing other features for free, something that's already happening frequently now.

Logan is also experimenting with a few products designed to entertain travelers.

Fadow Ltd., a Toronto-based company, this week is unveiling five downloadable-entertainment kiosks in Logan's Terminal A as part of a six-month pilot program. It will allow passengers to rent or purchase movies, TV shows, travel guides, video games, or music - which they'll download onto a USB thumbdrive and later upload to their laptops or other electronics.

By the end of October, all 20 Hudson Newsstands at Logan will receive racks of FlexPlay DVDs, which have a special coating that starts oxidizing when the plastic seal is unwrapped. After 48 hours, the chemical reaction interferes with the ability of the DVD player's laser beam to read the disc, rendering it useless and thus, no need to return the movie.

And Redbox, which provides automated DVD rental systems, will install its rental machines in Logan's Terminal B by the end of the month, said Matthew Brelis, spokesman for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs the airport.

Massport doesn't have to pay anything to introduce Redbox to its retail mix, but it could gain a share of the revenue from the $1-per-night rentals, which travelers can return at any Redbox booth in supermarkets and other venues nationwide.

On the safety and security front, Logan is testing Bella Bagno Inc.'s antimicrobial floor mats lining one lane of a Transportation Security Administration's Terminal B checkpoint. Logan is testing them for free, but the 2-foot by 6-foot disposable runners typically cost $85 each. Six or seven mats are needed to span a lane's screening area.

"We've been testing it for months," Ishihara said. "We haven't made a decision."

Nicole C. Wong can be reached at nwong@globe.com.