Charlotte Douglas’ Martha Edge on Canine Crew, Passenger Experience & Airport Innovation

How can airports combine advanced technology, operational resilience and genuinely human experiences to reduce passenger stress and create better journeys?

In this episode of the FTE Podcast, host Max Gosney speaks with Martha Edge, Innovation & Experience Director at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, about how CLT is approaching the future of airport innovation through a powerful mix of practical technology, customer-centric thinking and emotional intelligence.

Martha explains how Charlotte Douglas has developed an Innovation & Experience division focused on the full customer journey, bringing together areas including marketing, innovation implementation, business intelligence, customer engagement, art, volunteers and passenger experience design.

A major theme of the conversation is that innovation does not always have to mean complex technology. Martha shares the story of CLT’s much-loved Canine Crew therapy dog programme, where trained dogs are positioned post-security to help reduce passenger anxiety, create moments of surprise and delight, and bring warmth into a high-pressure airport environment.

The episode also explores CLT’s work on one of the most exciting areas of airport infrastructure innovation: a digital twin programme linked to the airport’s fourth parallel runway. Martha discusses how embedded runway sensors can support real-time monitoring of pavement performance, maintenance planning and long-term infrastructure resilience.

Max and Martha also discuss CLT’s major security checkpoint transformation, including the move from multiple smaller checkpoints to a more streamlined mega-checkpoint model using automated screening lanes and digital tools to help passengers navigate to the shortest queues.

The conversation highlights how airport innovation must be rooted in real operational understanding. Having previously led terminal operations at CLT, Martha explains why the best ideas often come from being close to the problem, understanding frontline realities and designing solutions that can work when pressure is high.

The episode also dives into:

• How therapy dogs can support passenger wellbeing and airport experience
• Why practical innovation can be just as powerful as advanced technology
• How digital twins can transform runway maintenance and infrastructure planning
• The role of AI, business intelligence and data in airport decision-making
• How consolidated security checkpoints can improve flow and reduce confusion
• Why getting outside your own airport is essential for fresh thinking
• The importance of customer-centric culture across every airport badge holder
• Why the human element will remain central to the future of aviation

Martha also shares her personal aviation journey, from her early career with Delta Air Lines to her current leadership role at Charlotte Douglas. She reflects on the importance of customer-first thinking, the value of frontline experience and why aviation remains a career full of purpose, responsibility and opportunity.

Looking ahead, Martha discusses her vision for future airports: more seamless journeys, touchless technologies, biometrics, improved mobility, fewer bottlenecks and smarter infrastructure. But throughout the discussion, she is clear that people will remain essential. Technology may change how work is done, but the human in the loop will continue to matter.

For airport executives, airline leaders, innovation teams, terminal designers, customer experience professionals and aviation technology providers, this episode offers valuable insight into how one of the world’s busiest connecting airports is blending technology, empathy and operational know-how to shape the passenger journey of the future.

Key Takeaway

Charlotte Douglas International Airport is showing that the future of airport innovation will not be defined by technology alone, but by practical, human-centred solutions that improve flow, reduce stress, support employees and create better passenger experiences.

Key Questions

• How can airports reduce passenger anxiety without relying only on technology?
• What can therapy dog programmes teach the aviation industry about customer experience?
• How can airports use digital twins to improve runway maintenance and infrastructure planning?
• Why is operational experience so important when leading innovation?
• How can airport security checkpoints be redesigned to improve flow?
• What role will AI and business intelligence play in future airport operations?
• How can airports create a stronger customer-centric culture across all employees?
• Why is it important for airport teams to visit and learn from other global operations?
• What will future airports look like in 30 or 40 years?
• How can technology support, rather than replace, the human element in aviation?