The US-VISIT program is by far the most extensive of all biometric airport initiatives in the United States, collecting both digital fingerprints and photos from foreign passport holders entering and leaving the country. But what about outside the national government? How can biometrics be useful in the daily operations of an airport and improve security, while enhancing the passenger experience?
Other countries have been quicker to adapt biometric technology, whether it be facial, iris or finger recognition; the three most common options today. From check-in, to bag drop, security and immigration, then final boarding, biometric applications have widespread potential in airports.
SITA’s Head of Portfolio Management, Government and Security, Sean Farrell, agrees. He says the reason airlines and airports have been slow to jump on the biometrics' bandwagon is because of the difficulty integrating these technologies with airline business processes and systems, "as well as passenger concerns about privacy and lack of industry standards governing how biometrics should be used."
Chris Bidwell, vice president of Security and Facilitation at Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA), compares biometrics to the increased availability and affordability of cell phones. As the technology became more popular in the market, the cost decreased. It was a natural transition, he says.
“With biometrics I think we’re in the same situation (as the cell phone trend) and in the fairly early stages of it,” Bidwell says. He adds that it’s not widespread yet in the United States, though some airports definitely do have biometrics capabilities.
“They need something that is reliable, cost-effective and can be integrated with existing platforms at airports. These factors are important, and all have to be considered when looking at installing various biometric technologies,” Bidwell says.
Another layer of security
Terry Hartmann, vice president of Transportation and Industry Applications with Unisys, explains that when used for border security, biometrics provides immigration officials more time to verify identities of people entering the country, and takes the regular, self-verifying travelers off the table right away. Frequent travelers can use the Global Entry program of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to receive faster clearance upon arrival. Forty-two airports and 12 pre-clearance locations were available in the United States as of December 2014, and nearly 2 million members were enrolled.
Another security use for biometrics is simply geared toward airline/airport employees and other contractors moving from the unsecure to secure sides of the terminal. Hartmann says badge stealing is a real occurrence, and a fingerprint or iris scan provides an additional layer of security to the identification badges already in use.
Farrell says that any system is dependent on the quality of vetting done at enrollment, and is why the airlines should look to build new processes around government-issued credentials such as e-Passports. “This approach also addresses the need for travel document verification and the integration of passenger risk assessment to further streamline passenger processes, particularly at security and the border crossing where passengers who are low risk and identifiable by their biometrics can be offered a truly differentiated experience,” he concludes.
A competitive advantage
Speaking of a differentiated experience, this is something every airport aims to give its passengers.
Hartmann says that pre-9/11 biometric technology in airports was seen in Amsterdam, where flyers could just as easily go to Brussels. Frequent fliers were encouraged to use the airport by priority access through immigration lines and other services such as parking and first-class check in, all with iris recognition. Today, 50,000 people use that service.
He sees the passenger experience as one worth investing in. “Obviously this is a benefit to airports,” he explains. “They would much rather have people spend time in retail and concessions than in immigration and security lines. Your frequent travelers will go to airports that provide services like Global Entry.”
On May 20, Miami International Airport began offering this competitive advantage, but for a price. CLEAR, a program that uses fingerprint or iris scans to confirm identification allows enrolled travelers to bypass long security waits through a separate “CLEAR” line.
The airport is offering a two-month free trial, proceeded by a CLEAR membership of $179 with each additional family member $50 and children under 18, free. While members must still remove shoes, belts and all the usual procedures, they can sail through security in less than five minutes. The CLEAR CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker calls it the “ATM of identity.”
Passengers use a pre-approved biometric CLEAR card to expedite their airport process and at MIA, this capability is available in Concourses D, E, H and J. Miami International is actually the 12th airport in the country to integrate CLEAR; Orlando International Airport was the first several years ago.
Other ways biometrics can improve the passenger experience is through automatic boarding, entrance to lounges such as the international lounge or airline frequent flier lounges. This also enhances security in those areas, and ensures that those who enter are absolutely qualified to do so. Bidwell remarks that these technologies and changes in processes are keeping airports secure, but also helping people return to the pre-9/11 mentality, a benefit of its own.
Implementation and integration
Farrell says the main challenge facing airports is not the technology itself, as it is relatively mature, but ensuring they are implemented in a way that is scalable and affordable. Also, he says the technology must be universal at every airport. “The best way to accomplish this is for airports to leverage the existing shared common-use IT infrastructure used by airlines,” Farrell advises.
To be most effective in introducing biometric technology, Farrell says airports should first look to engage all stakeholders, from the airlines to security and border management agencies. “
Bidwell advises airports to do a cost/benefit analysis and determine whether the deployment of a biometrics' system is beneficial for that airport's specific needs. "What problem are you trying to solve?" he says airport executives should ask themselves. "How would biometrics or some other type of system appropriately solve that problem?"
He says there is not much assessment done on the use of biometrics in airports, and that alone deserves more attention, particularly as the industry sees the systems' capabilities enhanced. "We have to provide low failure rates in biometrics," he says. "Airports need high reliability and low failures at the same time."
Biometric technology is a “tool in the toolbox, according to Bidwell. "It can be useful in helping limit access to authorized individuals, but it does not prevent unauthorized access by unauthorized individuals. That’s an important distinction.”
When looking to implement biometrics, airports have to balance their existing technology and processes with new ways to enhance passenger experiences, all while maintaining security secure facility. "That is very much the business of airports," Hartmann concludes.
