Using iris recognition to improve airport security and travel experience

Today, airports around the world are tasked with ensuring the safety of their employees and passengers. In addition to providing error-free security, the service should be fast and airport employees should be courteous. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic began two years ago, when flights were filling up and demand outstripped service, airport managers recognized the need to plan for the future, improving traveler experience by upgrading infrastructure and developing innovative plans to speed up airports. of the airport check-in experience, providing benefits and reducing customer input.

The case of airports such as Hamad International Airport (HIA), Schiphol Airport and the Canadian Air Transport Safety Authority (CATSA) has answered the need for improved security, including the adoption of biometric technology. Private companies such as CLEAR are also venturing into biometric authentication solutions to provide faster and more secure ways to check in at airports or entertainment venues.

Admittedly, operating an airport is difficult; it must balance the needs for efficiency, customer service and safety. Iris technology is a solution that meets this need and evolves with the industry to help influence the future of air travel.

Meeting Today’s Aviation Demand

Demand for air travel has returned to pre-pandemic levels, leading to long lines and increased wait times at security checkpoints. To prevent missing flights, the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) currently recommends that travelers arrive at the airport two hours before domestic travel and three hours before international travel. This advice is the exact opposite of what travelers really want.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported in its 2021 Global Passenger Survey that 85% of air travelers expect to spend less than 45 minutes at the airport with carry-on baggage only. Those traveling with checked luggage can expect to spend no more than an hour.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol also operates its Privium program using iris recognition technology, which enables Dutch citizens and travelers to get through security in 15 seconds or less.

Such a clear disconnect between customer demand and reality only highlights the need to increase passenger throughput. Unfortunately, airport facilities management teams already face a host of challenges beyond just reassuring travelers.

Airport security requirements are unmatched in complexity and oversight. Facilities not only oversee passenger safety, but also manage employees and third-party workers. Therefore, the management team is tasked with maintaining all secure environments through accurate authentication and verification while providing a high level of customer satisfaction.

This duality of high security and high service creates a huge operational gap in the airport environment that requires innovative process re-engineering and comprehensive operational improvements to repair. Iris recognition technology provides an advanced contactless authentication solution for use at self-securing electronic gates, information kiosks, and immigration and border control lanes. This biometric solution allows passengers to speed through security checkpoints in less than 10 seconds, meeting the need for best-in-class security, fast throughput and a seamless travel experience.

Why Iris Recognition

Iris recognition provides a viable solution for air travelers and airport security professionals. It ensures fast throughput of security checkpoints by employing the most secure and accurate form of non-intrusive biometric authentication. The iris alone has 240 recognition points – far more than fingerprint and facial technology.

Additionally, each person’s irises are unique, resulting in fewer false positives and absolutely no opportunity for bias. Unlike ID cards and passports, unique iris patterns are not easily stolen, lost or damaged. This makes iris recognition technology highly reliable and ideal for accurately verifying and authenticating identities.

In airport operations, the unique capabilities of iris recognition have also been proven to improve security, speed and user satisfaction when used for personal identification. Complete registration and instruction may take less than 2 minutes. There was no invasive scanning while the subject stood one meter away from the scanner. Iris recognition uses camera-like technology to take a picture of the iris and uses a coding algorithm to create a digital template, forming a unique value that matches only one person. Once signed up, authenticating an individual takes less than 2 seconds and provides a completely contactless access control experience.

Making security checks faster, smoother and safer is a win-win for travelers and those responsible for airport operations. The same goes for people who need access to secure areas. This includes third-party contract workers who frequently use air facilities to transport goods and provide supplier services. The ability to closely monitor all persons entering secure areas is just as important as keeping the public out. Iris recognition can control access to these sensitive areas within airport operations and enable airline personnel and vendors to be easily identified and granted access to the appropriate areas.

The application of iris recognition technology in the airport environment, whether for customers or employees, can bring many benefits to airport operations. For example, self-service biometric kiosks at electronic gates eliminate the need for manual passport checks. Low-risk travelers can move quickly through security checkpoints, while managers can focus more attention on unknown travelers. Saved labor resources can now be reallocated across the airport to address additional operational or security processes. Additionally, by saving more time at security checks, passengers can spend more time at the airport’s services or hanging out, thereby improving their travel experience.

PROVEN SOLUTION

Millions of passengers use biometric-enabled immigration counter e-gates at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar every year. ICAO praised the Hamad International Electronic Gate Program as a model system that can be adopted by other countries. To expand on this success, iris recognition technology found at immigration counters and electronic gates has been deployed to more than 500 border crossings in Qatar. The solutions will also be used to process the identities of approximately 3 million visitors ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Except in Qatar, iris recognition is already being adopted globally to process trusted travelers simply, quickly and securely. CLEAR is a private company based in New York that uses iris authentication software and cameras embedded in kiosks to identify vetted travelers at more than 40 major U.S. airports. Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport also uses iris recognition technology to run its Privium program, which enables Dutch citizens and travelers to get through immigration and customs in 15 seconds or less. The same technology is extended to manage access to the airport’s three lounges, all of which are exclusive to members of the Privium program.

In 2004, the Canadian Air Transport Safety Authority (CATSA) deployed a unique iris recognition system for employee use only. Each CATSA employee's iris biometric is registered and stored on a smart card, which is used to gain access to secure areas. The iris recognition technology is integrated with existing physical access control systems installed at each of the 41 individual CATSA airports. An estimated 200,00 employees have already participated in the program, proving that biometrics can be used in aviation physical security beyond passenger-facing applications. By storing iris data on smart cards, CATSA resolves any privacy concerns and complies with the latest GDPR regulations.

Iris recognition technology provides a complete solution for accurate authentication for security and access control. The key to wider adoption is education about the convenience of the technology and more communication about current use. In IATA's 2021 Global Passenger Survey, 73% of travelers were willing to share their biometric data to improve airport processes, up from 46% in 2019.

Airline customers have proven that the convenience of digital solutions is attractive. Passengers can book flights, select seats, receive flight update notifications and download digital boarding passes through the airline app. It’s this ease of use that passengers want to see replace the time-consuming, repetitive security checks they go through on arrival. If consumers and security administrators stay up to date on the technology and its benefits, it is reasonable to predict mass adoption and opt-in for biometric programs. Massive educational marketing, visible signage and announcements of the deployment of biometric technology will certainly help.

The Airport of the Future

20th century air transportation infrastructure is already strained by the demands of 21st century airport operations and the impact of a waning global pandemic. In this volatile business environment, airports around the world face extraordinary challenges, including the inherent tension between improving operational efficiency, customer service and the overall travel experience while responding to a wide range of security threats.

Iris recognition has proven to be an effective and preferred authentication method to address these challenges in a 21st century world – where consumers now don’t like to wait, but also want their security promised. As the technology develops and product and deployment costs decline, iris recognition technology will become the preeminent biometric technology for airport security.

The above is the detailed content of Using iris recognition to improve airport security and travel experience. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!