Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Airport Transport Association (IATA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to pool resources for the development of the Checkpoint of the Future, which has been renamed Smart Security (SmartS).
The name change to SmartS reflects the start of a new phase of pilot testing of first generation checkpoints, namely the testing of several components together to see how they work with one another in an operational environment, the two aviation associations said in a joint release this month.
SmartS also reflects the new collaboration between ACI and IATA along with “strong participation of governments and other key industry stakeholders,” the two associations said.
“SmartS is the way forward,” Tony Tyler, IATA’s director general and CEO, said at the association’s annual global media day in Geneva. “A lot has been learned from the component tests conducted over the last two years. It forms the foundation for us to move confidently into the next phase of the development.”
As with the IATA’s original Checkpoint of the Future concept and development, the goal of SmartS is to minimize inconveniences to travelers as they move from the curb to boarding, with security resources and screening based on risk. The Checkpoint of the Future concept envisions different levels of screening based on what is known about travelers as they transit through the checkpoint, with individuals deemed to be higher risks receiving more screening attention such as while lower risk passengers receive less attention.
The goal for the air travelers’ experience under SmartS is that by 2020 there is minimal interruption, minimal need to divest items at the checkpoint, and more effective security, according to Paul Behan, head of Passenger Experience at IATA. Behan presented at the global media day about improving the passenger travel experience.
The broad categories for testing SmartS in 2014 include lane configuration and automation, remote screening, large electrical items in bags, body imaging security scanners, and unpredictable measures and steps towards risk-based differentiation, according to Behan’s presentation.
Improving security lane configuration and automation enables passengers to “divest more efficiently,” according to Behan’s presentation, allowing for maximization of the rate at which bags and trays are funneled through the X-Ray machines. He also says that state-of-the art X-Ray systems combined with advanced detection algorithms will minimize divesting. This technology “is within reach,” he says.
Behan says that body scanners continue to be improved and along with process improvements “have helped increase the throughput rate to meet requirements of a highly efficient next-generation checkpoint.”
Regarding risk-based differentiation, Behan says in the near-term this can be accomplished through the use of behavior detection officers and the use of rules and categories but additional security could be obtained by being smarter about unpredictability, such as “switching of equipment sensitivity and algorithms used on the X-Ray and body scanners.”
For the majority of passengers, there is little need to divest things like laptops and other electronic devices, liquids, aerosols and gels, and shoes and belts, Behan says. That’s all part of the vision for 2020, he says.
The SmartS pilots planned for 2014 will take place at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and London’s Heathrow Airport. The Netherland’s National Counter-Terrorism Coordinator and KLM Airlines will be involved in the Schiphol pilot while the United Kingdom Department for Transport and British Airways will help in the Heathrow testing.
“The focus for 2014 is on optimizing the security screening resources and asset utilization, integrating innovative technology and repurposing existing equipment, and implementing new procedures to facilitate risk-based screening and decision making,” ACI and IATA said.
Behan also reviewed achievements in 2013 through the former Checkpoint of the Future project. These include a research study on data-driven risk assessment of passengers, a trial at London’s Gatwick airport to demonstrate the operational benefits of remote X-Ray image processing, tests and trials at Schiphol using advanced detection capabilities to minimize divesting of electronic devices, research and experimentation with “clear bag” algorithms, tests at Schiphol and Gatwick of innovative lane configurations and automation to “help passengers divest and repack more efficiently,” higher body scanner throughputs, and a trial at the KLM crew center using explosive trace detection as the primary search method.