Gallery: More airports invest in biometrics

Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) has become the latest airport in the US to adopt SITA’s biometric-enabled SITA Smart Path to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in fulfilling its congressional mandate for biometric passenger screening on exit from the US. 

SITA has implemented 54 face pods across Terminals 1 and 2 which are available to all international passengers. The technology provides travelers with a touchless process that further secures and streamlines international departures. If a traveler cannot be matched to a photo on record through Biometric Exit or chooses to opt out of the process, the traveler will proceed through the traditional inspection process consistent with existing requirements for departure from the US.
 

SITA and Fraport are enabling all airlines at Frankfurt Airport to jointly use face biometrics as identification from check-in to boarding the aircraft. Frankfurt is the first airport in Europe to offer biometric touchpoints to all airline passengers, enabling streamlined, frictionless passage throughout the airport.

Using SITA’s Smart Path biometric solution, powered by NEC, your face becomes your boarding pass. Passengers can securely register in advance on their mobile device through the Star Alliance biometric app or directly at the check-in kiosk with their biometric-enabled passports. The whole registration process only takes a few seconds.

Once registered, passengers pass through the facial recognition-equipped checkpoints without showing any physical documents. The new technology is already in use by more than 12,000 passengers at check-in, boarding pass control and boarding gates.
 

German airport operator Fraport began testing the world’s first walk-through security scanner for passengers at Frankfurt Airport. The scanner, R&S QPS Walk2000 from Rohde & Schwarz, is designed to speed up security checks and can detect all kinds of items quickly and contact-free. AI-based detection software automatically identifies metallic and non-metallic objects. Any anomalies detected on passengers are accurately displayed in real time on a unisex avatar, reducing the need for follow-up checks. If, however, a check is needed, security staff can focus on the areas that have triggered an alarm instead of patting down the passenger.
The first of these scanners is currently in use in Concourse A of Terminal 1. Passengers simply walk through the scanner at a normal pace without stopping. The test and evaluation phase is set to last up to six months and will provide Fraport and Rohde & Schwarz with important information to help optimize the system.
 

SITA is upgrading Air France-KLM Group’s existing line-up of 400 self-service kiosks in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, and other hub airports in Europe, delivering new functionalities for passengers such as contactless payments.

The new kiosks are equipped  with a payment service that uses Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant chip and pin terminals to accept ancillary fees, including via contactless cards and smartphones. SITA’s kiosk payment service adheres to EU PSD2 SCA law because it provides two-factor authentication. The payment service solution by SITA is unique from others in the air transport industry because it is also PCI Point-to-Point Encryption (P2PE) compliant. This capability increases security and saves airlines time and costs associated with meeting their PCI Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) compliance requirements.

Air France-KLM said it can customize the kiosks to specific customer needs without introducing complexity and cost. Because of the TS6’s modular design, the airline group can switch out and change individual components years later, ensuring the longevity of the kiosks, and making it easier for Air France-KLM to introduce new functionality, such as biometrics, in the future.
 

Autonomous vehicles and robots will have a major impact on the future of air freight in times of a shortage of skilled workers. Developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML, the evoBOT—which has been tested at Munich Airport—now offers a first taste of this. With its two wheels and gripper arms, the robot—which keeps itself perfectly balanced—mastered a first practical test in the cargo terminal and on the apron of Munich Airport. During its first test runs at Cargogate at Munich Airport, the autonomous robot proved how versatile it is. The evoBOT will facilitate the day-to-day work of cargo employees. 
 

German provider Materna IPS has equipped India’s Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru’s (BLR) new Terminal 2 with 34 Self Bag Drop (SBD) systems in order to optimize the passenger journey. The SBDs are equipped with artificial intelligence-based dimensional and conveyability detection to ensure smooth and secure a baggage drop. 
 

TUI Group now offers home pick-up luggage service. The baggage service can be booked via the TUI website. By means of a link to Bagpoint, the customer fills in his flight details and the pick-up address. Pick-up is possible an evening in advance or, depending on the time, on the day itself. At pick-up, the baggage is weighed, sealed and labeled. Arriving at the airport, the baggage is carried in the airport's baggage system, where regular processing and screening takes place. Bagpoint's advanced application guarantees a safe process. The baggage service can be booked for all flights booked via TUI that depart from Schiphol and where online check-in is possible.
 

Middle Eastern carrier Emirates Airline unveiled its first robotic check-in assistant, called Sara, that roams around the airline’s new city check-in center. Sara matches customers' faces with scanned passports, checks the passengers in, and guides them to the luggage drop area.

The innovative robot is part of a new City Check in, and Travel Store Emirates is set to launch in the heart of Dubai's financial district. The site allows customers to book travel, check-in for flights, drop off luggage, and purchase travel essentials to save time at the airport. The facility opened April 27 at ICD Brookfield Place in Dubai International Financial Centre.
 

Austrian Airlines passengers traveling from Vienna Airport can check-in baggage in advance and have it delivered to their destination airport with a delivery service provided by AirPortr.

Passengers can hand over their baggage at a desired location and collection time, and can pick up at baggage claim after arriving at the target destination. The first 200 bookings are free of charge as part of a test run for flights departing Vienna before May 3, 2023. 
 

Passengers flying with easyJet from Edinburgh Airport will now be able to drop their bags the day before their flight as the airline introduces its Twilight Bag Drop service. The free service offers airline passengers on early morning flights the ability to come to the airport the night before to check in bags, which enables them to head straight to security on the day of travel. Twilight Bag Drop will be available to all easyJet customers on flights departing before 1200, and bags can be dropped between 1600-2100 the day before they fly.
 

Hamburg Airport is the first German airport to test smart cabin baggage trolleys from Danish developer Intelligent Track Systems (ITS). The trolleys have an interactive display, allowing passengers to find details of their flight or to browse the offerings in the various shops. 

The touchscreens on the new trolleys are as easy to operate as a smartphone. You do not need to log in. On the interactive site map, passengers can choose between shops, restaurants, gates and lavatories and be guided straight there. Clicking on a shop or restaurant allows customers to browse what is on offer. If passengers always want keep an eye on their flight details, they can scan the QR code from their boarding pass or select their flight manually. If the flight is moved to another gate or flight details change, a pop-up message will appear on the screen. Use of the trolleys is free of charge for all passengers.
 

SITA, working with Indicio and the Aruba Tourism Authority, has implemented seamless travel to Aruba through the use of verifiable digital credential technology. This innovation will soon allow travelers to Aruba to fulfill government immigration requirements before boarding their flight with their “ready-to-fly” status being confirmed invisibly in the background.

Passengers arriving at Queen Beatrix International Airport can apply for their travel authorization using a simplified process that eliminates the need to manually enter information from paper travel documents. Using a Digital Travel Credential (DTC), passengers can consent to share any of their relevant data directly from their digital wallet on their mobile device to multiple entities across journeys, from the government at the port of entry to other touchpoints such as hotels or car rental.
 

German provider Materna IPS will install several check-in as well as self-bag drop kiosks in Düsseldorf Airport (DUS). As part of a two-step bag drop process, the check-in kiosks do not only allow passengers to check-in on site but also print out their bag tag at this touchpoint. For passengers that are already checked in, additional kiosks are available for issuing bag tags. In the second step the baggage is dropped at one of the self-bag drop systems.

Dividing the process into several steps has the advantage of shortening waiting times and cope with passenger volumes during peak times. The systems will be installed in different phases throughout the year.
 

The Emirates Group will introduce multilingual robots to speed up passenger check-in at Dubai International Airport. The Dubai-based carrier is hosting the first edition of ForsaTEK, an annual event and a platform to create new opportunities, bring together two startup program—Intelak and Aviation X Lab—plus collaborate with high-profile tech and industry partners, start-ups and key players in the ecosystem.

Emirates Airline and Group chairman and chief executive H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: "Innovation is an integral strand of the Emirates Group’s DNA since day one. With the advancements in technology, we have always aimed to deliver better value and solutions to our customers through its adaptation and implementation across our business. ForsaTEK is another platform to showcase technological initiatives and its applications in our industry. Together with our like-minded partners and some of the brightest minds spanning industries, we’ve built a robust incubator ecosystem that is delivering cutting-edge initiatives in travel."
 

Sacramento International Airport (SMF) has deployed Amadeus Facial Biometrics technology at select boarding gates for international flights. This technology revolutionizes the process of verifying traveler identities by comparing live photos to the traveler’s existing passport or visa photo in secure US Department of Homeland Security systems.  As a result, the safety and security of passengers and airport employees will be enhanced, while the screening process will become more efficient. The facial biometrics process is voluntary for US citizens.
 

Frankfurt Airport (Fraport) has teamed with SITA to introduce biometric touchpoints—from check-in to boarding—across the airport this spring. From enrollment at a kiosk or counter, to pre-security automated gates and self-boarding gates, passengers can use biometric technology to seamlessly pass through each stage of the journey by simply scanning their face. 
 

Frankfurt International Airport put a new security screening system—Vanderlande’s PAX MX2—into operation in January. The new system has a unique dual-land concept for more efficient screening. PAX MX2 allows passengers to divest and pick up their hand luggage from two parallel lanes before and after the screening machine. 

Designed for maximum efficiency, security and throughput, PAX MX2 enhances the passenger experience with shortened queueing times, as well as intuitive processes. Waist-height tray feeding, an empty tray recognition system, an automated tray return system and a layout designed for optimal ergonomics all contribute to reducing the number of manual tasks to be performed by both agents and passengers.
 

New Zealand’s Queenstown Airport has selected automatic self-service solutions firm Elenium to provide six bag-drop units and nine self-service kiosks as part of the airport’s upgrade program for the contactless journey. The new services will be installed by June.
 

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is installing SITA facial biometric technology at 25 boarding gates in Terminals A-East and A-West to help US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) process departing passengers on international flights safely and efficiently. In partnership with CBP, PHL will install equipment to collect facial biometrics of travelers exiting the US. CBP has built the facial biometric matching service that airlines, airports, and the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) can access wherever traveler identity verification is required throughout the air travel journey, including check-in, bag drop, security checkpoints, and boarding. CBP has implemented the complementary Simplified Arrival process on entry at PHL that also leverages facial biometrics to verify the identity of travelers to further secure and streamline the entry process