Star Alliance expects biometrics use by more member airlines; Idemia updates PreCheck enrollment

Star Alliance said it intends for at least 12 of its 26 airline members to deploy biometric solutions by 2025, Reuters reports.

The group also confirmed it would like the four European airports that are participating in its biometrics program to add additional touchpoints, as well as increase the number of participating airports.

Using biometric systems, Star Alliance says, processing times through airport security, baggage drop, departure gates and lounges can be cut even as passenger numbers grow after the pandemic.

“We will definitely need to be heading towards half of our carriers participating. But at the same time, we also need to increase the network of participating airports,” Christian Draeger, VP of customer experience at Star Alliance, told Reuters.

Though not binding, the announcement marks the first time Star Alliance has offered a specific target for participation, according to the executive.

The expansion plan comes roughly a year after Star Alliance partnered with SITA and NEC to expand the use of biometric ID systems for touchless traveler journeys across its members.

Idemia introduces new TSA PreCheck biometric enrollment system

Idemia NA has introduced pilots and long-term deployments of a new on-site TSA (Transportation Security Administration) PreCheck enrollment initiative.

The service will reportedly make enrollment more convenient, cutting the process for PreCheck to about five minutes and Known Traveler Number to most passengers within five days.

“We have had great success rolling this out to travelers while they are already at the airport,” says Lisa Sullivan, senior VP of travel and transport for Idemia I&S North America.

The technology was demonstrated for two weeks at Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport, Gulfport-Biloxi International in Mississippi and Louisville Muhammad Ali International in Kentucky.

Idemia confirmed that longer-term deployments of the concept had been launched at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and Orlando International in Florida.

Also this week, Idemia’s face recognition algorithms scored high marks for fairness in the latest Face Recognition Vendor Test by NIST.

BagsID deploys image recognition in Rome

Visual AI platform BagsID has completed a trial of its image recognition technology at Rome Fiumicino Airport. The pilot project saw airport staff using the BagsID app to scan a set of bags.

The airport team could monitor each bag’s last known location and see pictures of a bag in the baggage handling system.

According to quarterly aviation industry publication ARGS, the pilot showcased BagsID’s mobile recognition app’s usefulness and its future applications for baggage biometrics.

BagsID CEO Dave Bakker says, “We look forward to working together with Aeroporti di Roma to deploy the next steps in our proof of concept.”

A similar solution was tested last year by American Airlines at Dallas-Fort Worth, which relied on biometric technologies by Thales.

Article Topics

airports  |  biometrics  |  contactless biometrics  |  digital identity  |  facial recognition  |  identity verification  |  image recognition  |  passenger processing  |  trusted traveller