KLM, Schiphol Begin Facial Recognition Test for Passenger Boarding
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have begun a three-month voluntary “biometric boarding” trial that allows passengers to board through a separate gate that identifies them using facial recognition technology without showing their boarding pass and passport. The trial will assess the speed, reliability and user-friendliness of the technology, as well as the boarding process and passenger experience. Passengers that want to use facial recognition for boarding must register first using a kiosk. The registration process includes scans of passports, boarding passes and faces. Personal data will only be used for the trial and will be deleted after boarding. Portugal’s Vision-Box is supplying software for the pilot. The company says that after the trail biometric boarding will roll out to more boarding gates at the airport. Vision-Box is also participating in a facial recognition trial at Charles de Gaulle Airport in France.
Vision-Box Deploys Automated Border Control System at French Rail Station
Vision-Box says it has implemented an automated border control solution based on facial recognition technology at St. Pancras International rail station on the French border, marking the first time a self-service technology solution has been deployed by a private transportation service provider at an international rail hub. The initiative aims to maximize the speed and efficiency of the immigration clearance process for passengers traveling from Britain into continental Europe and the Schengen zone within a highly secure framework. The company says its vb i-match eGates allow a for an identity check between the passenger and the e-passport presented through a comparison of the image taken at the gate against the photo stored in the passport chip. The biometric check complements the traditional biographic background checks that the Border Police perform. The eGates can be overruled by Border Police officers if additional checks are necessary. Vision-Box says the project with Eurostar allows it to gain a market hold within France, adding that it plans to further expand in the French transportation industry.
Miami International Piloting Smiths Equipment for Employee Screening
Smiths Detection says is partnering with Miami International Airport in a “first-of-its-kind” employee screening pilot that involves the use of the company’s multi-view X-Ray screening system and explosives trace detection equipment at one of the airport’s employee checkpoints. Smiths says the pilot is designed to help develop a replicable concept of operations and demonstrate high-accuracy threat detection coupled with fast and efficient movement of employees through the screening experience. “Over a decade ago, MIA made the commitment voluntarily to invest in employee screening absent any federal requirements because we felt it was the right thing to do,” says Emilio Gonzalez, Miami-Dade Aviation Director. “We have renewed our commitment to this important component of airport crime fighting and anti-terrorism by partnering with Smiths Detection in an effort to raise the bar and demonstrate the art of the possible.”