Information Technology

The ACR also allows an airport to personalize its customer service. "You can have roaming agents with hand-held readers that allow agents to read a passenger's card and help them if they are lost," says Paul Seaton, ventures manager for Airport e-volution. The database for the ACR can also give airlines operational efficiency in the baggage process. If an airline is sure a passenger will not board a flight in time, it can retrieve the loaded baggage immediately, allowing the plane to take off on time, Seaton says.

The ACR can also benefit an airport's concession program, by tracking where passengers spend their time in the airport. "There's an opportunity for the airports to actually see where the passengers are spending their time, the actual retail units they are visiting, and the time they spend in the retail area," Gregory states.

Though the identification cards would make passenger travel in an airport easier, security is a concern. "We've looked into biometric authentication because reading a card at a distance means you have identified a card but you have no knowledge of who's carrying that card," Seaton explains. The group is reviewing biometric measures, such as a retina scan, to authenticate the card.

For more information, visit www.csc.co.uk/nowwhatif/airport.html.