Adjusting for Compliance

BIOMETRICS: Improving the Travel Experience
In April, SITA released an article by Tom Marten, vice president of government security at SITA, relating how technology is improving the travel experience throughout the air transport industry. As a leading specialist in air transport communication and IT solutions, SITA has amassed a body of evidence from biometric deployments at airports worldwide. The research demonstrates the value and opportunity biometric technology can bring to improving passenger processing, reducing wait times, and enhancing the quality of the passenger journey while also enhancing security.

CONVERGENCE
• Convergence, in a passenger screening context, is the coming together of both biographic data elements, such as passport, visa, and booking information; and biometric data elements, such as fingerprint, iris, and facial images. According to SITA, herein lies the future of securing air borders, and improving the passenger experience.
• Biometric data is useful for identity management, and helps ensure any weak links by automatically re-enforcing passenger data (tells more about who a person is.)
• Biographic data provides a complementary layer of information to drive the passenger screening process (tells more about what a person is doing.)

E-PASSPORTS

• The adoption of e-passports containing digital photographs and/or biometric identifiers will deliver widespread benefits to all aviation stakeholders.
• If 40 percent of passengers departing an airport are holders of e-passports, there is a compelling business case to deploy biometric-based systems in that airport.
• Whether these biometric systems would be used for fast track access through security, access to airport lounges, or for automated border clearance, travelers would be moved as quickly, efficiently, and as cost-effectively as possible.
• It will be another five years or more before the majority of travelers hold e-passports, which will delay the widespread adoption of biometric systems for passengers.

INTERIM SOLUTIONS

• Registered traveler-type program: Participants choose to enroll in a biometric-based scheme in return for certain facilitation benefits. In the U.K., participants can enroll in the country’s Iris Recognition Immigration System (IRIS) by having the biographic data on their passports recorded together with high-definition images of each iris. Upon arrival in the U.K., IRIS participants can go directly to the automated clearance system.
• Once biometric information is submitted and a background check is completed, the traveler can participate and get expedited through security checks.

THE GOAL
According to SITA, in a few years, all travelers will have biometric passports. This will provide the opportunity for airlines, airports, and governments to leverage biometrics to provide valuable services to travelers.