Virgin Atlantic tests out biometric wristbands

Virgin Atlantic CIO David Bulman told the World Low Cost Airlines Congress this week that the airline is currently testing out a new wearable biometric device that will be used to identify passengers, according to a report by Airline Fleet Management.

Despite not having officially announced the solution, Virgin Atlantic is currently trialing the biometric wristband to measure each passenger’s unique heart rate, according to Bulman.

By measuring each unique heart rate, airline staff will be able to accurately identify each and every passenger in order to provide them with personalized service.

Virgin Atlantic also recently trialed Google Glasses at Heathrow airport, which Bulman said cost “less than a few tens of thousands” in an effort to improve customer service.

Bulman said that feedback from Heathrow staff showed that employees “really felt it empowered them to give a better service.”

With the Google Glasses-Heathrow airport trial program being a success, Bulman called on other airlines to follow suit and explore similar initiatives, while remaining fearless in their pursuits.

“Allow concepts to fail, don’t keep throwing money at them,” said Bluman. “You can do innovative things without spending lots of money.”

Article Topics

airports  |  biometrics  |  identity management  |  wearable