The Future of Airports: How Travelers' Positive Perceptions Drive the Acceptance of 100% Contactless Smart Airports

ABSTRACT The upcoming Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 5 is intended to become a smart airport terminal with 100% contactless services, by enhancing the end‐to‐end Fast and Seamless Travel system. Based upon the stimulus–organism–response framework, this study focuses on the 100% contactless service system as stimuli and integrates key positive drivers—optimism and innovativeness, enjoyment, and novelty as organism—into the technology acceptance model as response. Using a self‐administered survey, 305 responses were collected from individuals who traveled through the airport. Optimism is the strongest determinant of the usefulness and ease of use of this system. Optimism also significantly influences respondents' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward a 100% contactless service. These findings highlight the explanatory power of positive perceptions influencing the adoption of 100% contactless technology as the future of smart airports. This study also provides concrete suggestions to help smart international airports and governments become crisis‐ready and effective decision‐makers.