SITA calls for stakeholders to create biometric data sharing framework

SITA has called for secure biometric data sharing between stakeholders to enable air travel passenger experiences to be optimized, according to a post by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX).

SITA recently held its Euro Air Transport IT Summit in Budapest, with the tagline “Aviation 5.0 – Are You Ready?” The event largely focused on the role of biometrics in delivering a frictionless “walkthrough” passenger experience to replace cumbersome checkpoints. New research from SITA indicates that most airlines and airports are planning major programs or R&D for biometric identity management, but the company says realizing the full potential of thee projects requires stakeholder buy-in across the ecosystem.

“Secure and seamless travel is a must for the air transport industry. It is encouraging to see that both airlines and airports are investing in biometric technology to deliver a secure, paperless way to identify passengers across multiple steps of the journey. We have already seen great success where we have implemented it at airports across the world” said SITA CEO Barbara Dalibard.

“No single travel stakeholder (airline, airports, hotels, agencies, corporations, etc.) has the capability to optimize end-to-end-journey experience on their own. All stakeholders want and need the data to provide relevant customer related service offers, but customer related data are fragmented in silos,” said Christoph Schneider, Masterplanner at Munich Airport. Schneider urged stakeholders to develop a framework for sharing customer data, based on customer data ownership and consent, and respect for privacy.

Biometric self-service check-in kiosks are used at 41 percent of airports, and though only 9 percent have currently implemented biometric self-boarding gates, SITA expects they will become ubiquitous in the next three years.

Dalibard said in response to a question from the media at the event that in trials at Singapore Changi Airport, biometrics are enabling the role of human interaction in passenger experience to evolve, with human resources dedicated to passengers who most need them, such as families with younger children, older travelers, or those with special needs.

The World Travel & Tourism Council is also attempting to bring travel stakeholders together with governments to agree on a new system for identifying travelers, WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara told Biometric Update in a recent interview.

Article Topics

airport biometrics  |  biometric data  |  biometrics  |  data sharing  |  passenger processing  |  SITA