Wireless-First at Scale: How Chris Crist Future-Proofs the World’s Busiest Airport
At a time when digital transformation defines the speed of business, few places operate under more pressure than Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. With over 108 million passengers annually and a campus that runs 24/7 like a small city, operational efficiency is mission-critical. That’s why CIO Chris Crist has taken a clear stance: the future is wireless-first.
In Episode 17 of Go Beyond the Connection, Chris shares how ATL’s network strategy moves beyond hardwired limitations and into a scalable, resilient model that supports biometric boarding, IoT at scale, and nonstop uptime. His story reveals what it takes to lead IT in one of the most demanding environments on Earth—and why other CIOs should pay attention.
Wireless Solves Physical Limits—and Unlocks Growth
“We literally could not run any more physical cabling into the data center,” Chris explains. For many organizations, that would mean expensive facility expansions or infrastructure overhauls. But at ATL, it triggered something else entirely: a full pivot to a wireless-first architecture.
His team invested in next-generation distributed antenna systems (DAS), upgraded every Wi-Fi access point, and laid the groundwork for thousands of IoT devices—from HVAC pathogen sensors to elevator telemetry systems. The result? A resilient backbone that supports 24,000+ simultaneous wireless connections, ready to scale with demand.
“Wireless solves physical capacity constraints. It lets us innovate without ripping open walls.”
Seamless Biometric Boarding Starts with Resiliency
One of ATL’s most compelling innovations is facial recognition boarding in partnership with Delta. Instead of scanning tickets or documents, international travelers can now board a flight in seconds—just by looking at a camera.
Chris notes that shaving even a few seconds off boarding time makes a massive impact at scale. “For an organization that sees 300,000 passengers per day, seconds make a big difference.”
But this frictionless experience only works if the network does. That’s why biometric systems, security platforms, and boarding infrastructure are all tied into the same redundant wireless network—built to run with zero downtime.
CIOs Belong at the Strategic Table
Chris is also adamant that infrastructure leaders should never be siloed from the executive team. He won’t accept a CIO role unless it reports directly to the CEO—and at ATL, he works side by side with Ricky Smith, ensuring technology aligns with enterprise strategy.
“There’s a clear difference between organizations that treat IT as a strategic partner versus just a tactical function,” Chris says. At ATL, this alignment empowers the team to prioritize innovations that elevate passenger experience, streamline internal workflows, and drive measurable business outcomes.
Investing in AI for Real-Time Safety
ATL’s tech roadmap goes far beyond connectivity. Chris is leading a proof-of-concept to apply AI overlays on 7,000 existing security cameras. “With AI, we can instantly detect objects or individuals and filter to the exact location—within seconds,” he shares.
That kind of speed shifts security from reactive to proactive, saving hours or even days during investigations. It’s just one more example of how wireless infrastructure becomes the foundation for transformative outcomes across safety, service, and operations.
The Takeaway for IT Leaders
Chris Crist’s wireless-first philosophy offers a roadmap for any enterprise dealing with scale, complexity, or physical constraints. Whether you’re in aviation, retail, healthcare, or manufacturing, the message is clear:
- Rethink connectivity as a business driver, not just a utility.
- Prioritize redundancy and resilience to prevent disruption.
- Elevate IT leadership by aligning directly with strategic decision-makers.
In Chris’s words, “We have to become more efficient with what we have. It’s through technology that we’re going to make that work—and we’ll need to rely more on wireless capabilities to do that.”
Based on a podcast interview with Chris Crist, Chief Information Officer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
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