Glossary A–ZLetter F
Flight information display system (FIDS)
A FIDS (flight information display system) is an airport's display system that shows departures, arrivals, check-in desks, gates and baggage belts on screens in the terminal.
It draws its data from the airport's operational system. Changes appear on all displays within a short time.
In the terminal there are overview boards of all flights, displays at individual check-in desks and gates, and displays at the baggage belts. Each shows only what matters at its location, such as flight number, destination, time and status like “boarding” or “delayed”. Airports also operate advertising and information screens that are separate from the FIDS.
A FIDS is critical to safety and operations: wrong information leads to missed flights or crowding. It therefore needs redundancy, continuous monitoring and clear responsibilities. Advertising does not belong on these displays and must not be mistaken for them. Legibility from a long distance and multilingual status information matter more than design.