Bing has launched a new set of maps that weary travelers are sure to appreciate. Airport Maps include directions to and from, with a sortable directory of services and stores within the airport.
Airport stores and kiosks can be sorted by business type, or the level on which they’re located. They’ve also included also find information on parking, ticket counters, baggage claims, currency exchange and more.
From the main airport map, visitors can view current traffic speeds on a scale of slow to fast with four options, an aerial or bird’s eye view of the airport, or a view of the airport streetside (not available at all airports).
Clicking on a business or service name from the listings takes visitors to a zoomed-in map showing what’s nearby. Clicking on the business listing shows information about the store/service including features, menu, hours of operation, etc. Visitors can also search the level on which they’re located within the airport.
On a desktop, use Bing Maps and search by city, state, or airport code. The Map option is also available in search results when checking flight statuses. Bing urges travelers to check back often, as they plan on adding new airports to the list.
This is a much-needed improvement over the types of airport maps currently available and many will find it a far better alternative to stumbling around aimlessly in those concrete cells they trap us in a few hours before travel. Bing has not yet created an alternative to the invasive naked bodyscan, nor have they come up with a way to make pat-downs more enjoyable. For these reasons, we can only give this new service: 4 stars out of 5.
Related reading
Eight steps for a bulletproof local search strategy
Local search takes a lot of hard work and is competitive, but get it right and the pay-off can be huge. Manish Dudharejia shares his eight fundamental actions to get you started.
Three factors to consider when building a local presence
Developing a local presence takes a great deal of time, effort, and consistency. But with almost half of all Google searches now being local, you can't afford not to focus on it. Pratik Dholakiya shares three factors to start your local journey.
Four ways to boost SEO in just 5 hours
Good SEO practice is the difference between getting your site ranked as high up the search results and possible, and reducing the chance of a click through to your site. It can be frustrating to spend a great deal of time and effort on SEO and not see the results. Pius Boachie shares some tips you can quickly implement to make a difference.
Consumers lose trust in businesses with inaccurate NAP
Over the years we’ve seen the importance of the humble business listing change. While citations were once considered key link sources and their accuracy a contributing ranking factor for local search, today their impact has waned somewhat.
