From curb to gate without lines, disrobing, or searches is goal of IATA checkpoint of the future
June 13, 2011
Known travelers register and complete background checks, and will have expedited access. Normal refers to most travelers who have not completed background checks. Passengers with sketchy information or those deemed to be elevated risks would have an extra level of screening.
Airport security companies are developing screening technology to enable passengers to walk through the checkpoint without removing clothing or unpacking belongings. In the future, passenger screening could combine with outbound customs and immigration to streamline the process further.
“We spend $7.4 billion a year to keep aviation secure, but our passengers only see hassle," says IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani. The new checkpoint could enable passengers to go from curb to boarding gate without stopping, removing clothing, or being searched, he says.
Checkpoints in most of the world's airports today were designed 40 years ago to stop hijackers carrying metal weapons, Bisignani says. IATA's checkpoint of the future, instead, would blend intelligence based on passenger information and new technology. "That means moving from a system that looks for bad objects, to one that can find bad people,” Bisignani says.
For more information contact IATA online at www.iata.org.
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
