Biometric bag drop from Materna IPS coming to new JFK terminal

Materna IPS (Intelligent Passenger Solutions), acquired last month by SITA, will provide its biometric self-service bag drop (SSBD) system for the new $4.2 billion Terminal 6 included in the redevelopment of John F. Kennedy International Airport.

A release says JFK Millennium Partners (JMP), which the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) contracted to build and operate Terminal 6, has enlisted the German firm to deliver “one of the largest and most extensive self-bag drop installations in the United States.”  Materna’s Flex.Go airport biometrics system will allow airline passengers flying on participating airlines to verify their identity with face biometrics and drop their bags on the belt in under 30 seconds. Airline staff can also operate the Materna systems.

“The Materna system perfectly aligns with our goal to create a state-of-the-art terminal that is digital first, while also offering our guests choice,” says Steve Thody, CEO of JFK Millennium Partners. “While some guests may prefer to utilize the self-service bag drop option, with its multiple languages and overall ease of use, others may still want support from an agent.”

Noting that its biometric bag drop is already installed at the five largest U.S. airports and in numerous airports overseas, Materna IPS Americas President Gary McDonald calls the JFK Terminal 6 contract “icing on the cake.”

SITA’s acquisition of Materna IPS added a portfolio of passenger processing tools into which it can integrate its biometrics, computer vision, digital travel and airport operations management systems. The Swiss border tech firm says it serves 85 percent of international air passengers with its biometric products.

Heathrow contracts BigBear for security projects following Pangiam deal

Europe’s largest airport is also beefing up its technical capabilities. A release says Heahtrow has signed a master service agreement with BigBear.ai which opens the door for the public-sector IT decision-support firm to work on a broad range of projects to “improve security and operational effectiveness.”

BigBear’s Vision AI portfolio includes “image-based anomaly and threat detection, advanced analytics and digital twin capabilities.” Last year, the Maryland firm acquired border tech and biometrics provider Pangiam in a $70 million stock deal, which BigBear CEO Mandy Long says enables it to offer a “full-vision AI portfolio” that “leverages near-field vision AI in support of localized environments and far-field vision AI in support of global scale environments.”

BigBear claims 20 U.S. defense and intelligence customers, plus 160 enterprise buyers. In the Pangiam deal, which added aviation and identity verification vendors to its clientele, it has gained a portfolio built on a legacy of face biometrics vendors – Pangiam bought veriScan and TrueFace in 2021 – which continues to see uptake across industries.

In June, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the implementation of Pangiam’s face biometrics to streamline the manual document verification process during passenger boarding at Vancouver’s Canada Place cruise terminal.

Article Topics

airports  |  BigBear.ai  |  biometrics  |  face biometrics  |  identity verification  |  Materna IPS  |  Pangiam  |  SITA