Change will be less visible than felt. It is likely to register in more orderly takeoff and landing sequences and faster check-in, customs and baggage clearances. At that rate, they will double in about 14 years. But the physical capacity of airports is unlikely to keep pace. The political constraints of noise, pollution and congestion will continue to make expansion a political nightmare.
Improvements are most likely to come by doing things better.
For instance, the FAA is studying how to reduce waiting times on the ramp by precisely coordinating aircraft movements before they are ready to taxi. Further innovation may flow out of the new tower simulator at NASA's Ames Research Center, which will show airport planners exactly how runway, taxiway and control tower changes will affect their operations. More innovations are expected inside the terminal. Biometric verification with handprints or fingerprints is the commonly conceived method of verifying identifies. The airports gain because they get increased throughput.