A key pillar of the seamless travel experience, check-in and bag-drop solutions and technologies continue to be shaped by demands for single-token and self-service applications that reduce queue times and ease stress and anxiety among passengers. The future of check-in will be unveiled March 20-22 at this year’s Passenger Terminal EXPO in Stockholm, Sweden, where leading suppliers will present their latest innovations, including the following hand-picked examples of what visitors can expect to see. The expo is free to attend – register here.
Self-service check-in kiosk for ‘single-token’ seamless travel
Visitors in search of the latest self-service solutions should stop by IER’s stand at Passenger Terminal EXPO 2018, where the company will present its i920 self-service check-in kiosk, the i820 retrofit bag-drop solution and a brand-new e-gate solution for automated border control. All can be integrated seamlessly in IER’s single-token ‘Fly to Gate’ concept.
The i920 self-service check-in kiosk features a tablet-style touchscreen for user-friendliness, and runs on versatile software that recognises a wide range of possible boarding passes, making it ideal in the delivery of a ‘single-token’ environment and recognising the needs of today’s airports, airlines and immigration services. It also supports facial recognition and is easily upgradeable for further future developments.
The i820 bag-drop unit is a plug-and-play solution to integrate self-service into existing bag-drop counters. To this end, it is designed to interface with all major DCS and BHS systems and the design can be easily customised to fit in with brand image and existing décor. The large colour screen gives clear instructions, so the process is as straightforward as possible. If, for any reason, the check-in counters need to be manned, the module can be easily switched between agent and self-service modes.
Both self-service units can form part of a Fly to Gate setup in an airport, which allows passengers to create an ID token from home and travel through the airport using – in some cases – no more than facial recognition on self-service modules. In addition, it offers airports, airlines and governments the power to analyse passenger data movement. Visit IER’s stand for a virtual-reality demo.
IER Blue Solutions
STAND 205
Seamless, secure walkthrough experience – available today
Today’s passengers are tech users. Nearly everyone carries a smartphone and in SITA’s latest passenger survey, close to 60% said they would use biometrics. We now have growing passenger acceptance and industry acknowledgement that biometrics is key to creating a secure walkthrough experience. Stop by SITA’s stand at Passenger Terminal EXPO 2018 to discover how the company is delivering a workable solution for such a scenario, today.
SITA Smart Path, a complex technology delivering a remarkably simple solution, was developed for use in a common-use environment. It is helping airports and airlines incorporate biometrics into their existing infrastructure – kiosks, gates and bag-drop units.
Currently at Brisbane Airport, Smart Path is putting a simple, fast and secure walkthrough experience within reach of passengers. Their biometric details are simply captured through a facial scan at an enrolment kiosk, then checked against their travel documents to create a secure single token. Boarding is authorised with a glance at a camera for a biometric match.
Smart Path is easily integrated into existing multi-airline airport infrastructure, airline systems and government databases for integrated secure access, boarding and immigration and border checks. SITA’s recent collaboration with JetBlue and the US Customs and Border Protection resulted in the world’s first facial biometric international boarding system. Using just a facial scan, passengers can board JetBlue flights and complete US exit checks in one process. This shows how technology can make the boarding process simple and seamless for travellers, while enhancing national security. As such, it has been recognised for technology excellence in the 2018 ATW Airline Industry Achievement Awards.
At Passenger Terminal EXPO, visitors will be able to create their own biometric credentials on mobile phones using an industry first: the new SITA Smart Path mobile application. They will experience how biometrics integrated with self bag drop, security and boarding gates can speed up passenger processing and improve security at every step of the journey.
SITA
STAND 500
Biometrics-enabled self-service solutions for check-in and bag drop
At Passenger Terminal EXPO 2018, ICM will announce its next-generation check-in kiosk and demonstrate two operational CUSS Auto Bag Drop (ABD) units: a retrofit and a full replacement solution.
2017 was a breakthrough year for ICM. The firm launched and installed a number of new products and saw adoption of self-service baggage solutions soar in airports all over the world. In the last 12 months, the first ABD with fingerprint scanning technology went live, the Series 1 Type 2 ABD was launched and ICM diversified its product offering by introducing its next-generation check-in kiosk solution with integrated biometrics on top of its expanding bag-drop range.
During the same period, Singapore Changi Terminal 4 saw 50 of ICM’s biometrically enabled ABD units go live when the terminal opened in October. Delta Air Lines partnered with ICM to install biometric bag-drop technology at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, and Heathrow Airport placed a rollout order for ABDs for Terminal 2 with a view to increasing this number in the future.
Over 370 ABD units are now operational in 25 airport terminals across the world and have processed more than 55 million bags. Visit ICM’s stand to discover how the company’s range of self-service baggage and check-in solutions frees up terminal space and significantly reduces costs to airports and airlines.
ICM Airport Technics
STAND 715
Next-generation self-service bag drop – in under 60 seconds
Visitors looking to optimise their terminal’s efficiency, improve the passenger experience and take further steps towards single-token verification through biometrics should visit Rockwell Collins’ stand at Passenger Terminal EXPO 2018.
The new ARINC SelfDrop self-service bag-drop solution is available as a plug-and-play retrofit or new installation. The units are capable of dealing with one- or two-step installations, with already tagged bags able to be processed in as little as 10 seconds, or 45 seconds for the full-service bag drop, thus speeding up transaction times and reducing queues.
The units can be placed almost anywhere as they can be fitted with optional integrated scales and feature a small footprint. In addition, they have lights indicating which units are free, point-to-point encryption for PCI compliance (Payment Card Industry) and printers for contactless bag tags. The ARINC SelfDrop also connects to a suite of online kiosk insight management tools for analytics.
Finally, the units are ready for the future, being enabled for biometric validation and single-token travel. Biometrics provide more consistent results, because unlike people, machines do not suffer from fatigue after checking documents for hours on end. These security benefits, combined with rising customer demand for a simplified check-in process, mean that self-service kiosks with biometrics are the way to go.
There is still a lot of room for innovation in biometrics, however. Rockwell Collins is therefore working to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improve the biometrics process. For example, rather than trying to map a face onto a series of geometric points, in future AI may offer the possibility of recognising and ‘organically’ comparing faces based on a self-learning AI algorithm.
Rockwell Collins
STAND 1000
Print bag tags anywhere!
BB Computerteknikk (BBC), which installed its first self-service bag-drop units back in 2004, will bring its range of self-service bag-drop solutions to Passenger Terminal EXPO 2018. This will include a mobile version of its Tagomat and a ‘floor assistant’ for staff to help passengers with the bag-drop process.
To cut queues at bag drop-off counters, BBC’s Tagomat lets passengers automatically print their bag tags from a separate unit, which can be installed anywhere in the terminal. Tagomat scans passengers’ boarding passes and automatically prints the right number of tags, making the process as short as eight seconds. BBC is now launching a battery-powered version, which can easily be wheeled in wherever there is additional demand.
Despite the simplicity of BBC bag-drop products and the relatively widespread adoption of self-service at airports, passengers may still need help, so BBC is launching a mobile device for roaming staff, which can scan boarding passes to allow the floor walkers to assist people. In addition, the device shows operational status on the self-service units, so that technical issues can be addressed as soon as possible.
Visit BBC’s stand for a demonstration of the floor assistant device, Tagomat and a number of improvements to the company’s existing products, such as a new, slimmer touchscreen for the Bagomat bag-drop unit and a new version of the MyAIRPORT business intelligence software. MyAIRPORT keeps track of systems like Tagomat, Bagomat, BHS, security, boarding or any third-party system to identify travel patterns and analyse passenger preferences by showing trends, statistics and operational status, thus allowing airports to turn data into actionable information.
BB Computerteknikk
STAND 1025
Boarding gate reader innovation in preparation for single-token travel
Integral to every automated solution is the need to capture biometric data from an ID document, barcoded boarding pass, FQTV card, and so on. The Access-IS BGR750 can do all of this at a single point of presentation.
This data helps to confirm that a passenger has checked-in so that they can drop off their luggage. It also checks that they have a valid boarding pass so that they can pass security or buy duty-free goods, and takes their FQTV details to allow them to collect points and enter a premium lounge. Whether integrated into self-check-in kiosks or automated bag-drop machines, installed into auto security gates or boarding gates, these devices are often the passenger’s only direct point of contact.
The adoption of new technologies has led to a change in how passengers present their boarding passes, and the Access-IS BGR750 multifunction boarding gate reader enables intuitive customer interaction by reading all media from a single point of presentation. Just beginning to emerge is the idea that passengers will register their identity at a self-service kiosk, traditional check-in or even self-service bag drop. Having captured biometric data from the passport, the rest of their passage would rely on facial or fingerprint recognition alone. Multifunction check-in devices like Access-IS’s ATOM would enable this by capturing all the necessary personal and biometric data at registration to permit the use of a single digital token.
Access IS
STAND 800
Touchscreen bag tagging service
Materna will showcase a new model of its well-established Air.Go series in Stockholm this March. Air.Go was designed by Marcus Pedersen in Denmark, and allows passengers to drop off their luggage within seconds.
The units are developed to fit perfectly into the airport’s terminal by meeting all safety requirements, and are equipped with modern technology for reading, scanning and printing. Checked-in passengers only need a few taps on the intuitive touch display to get their bag tags. The system checks the tags’ validity, in addition to the size and weight of the bags.
Passengers take their receipt and proceed to the security area, saving time and starting their journey stress-free. Based on common-use self-service standards, Air.Go systems can handle multiple applications that cater to the needs of airlines. Airports using Air.Go include Toronto and Montreal in Canada, and Hamburg in Germany.
Materna Information & Communications
STAND 1100
Prepare for IATA Resolution 753 with new RFID baggage tags
RFID tags offer many benefits over barcodes: read and write possibilities, no line of sight required, readings from further away and higher read rates. For that reason, Hummel Print, a leading producer of baggage tags, will present a new generation of tags that use both barcodes and RFID at Passenger Terminal EXPO 2018.
The new RFID-equipped tags should considerably reduce the amount and cost of mishandled baggage and optimise internal handling processes. IATA Resolution 753 will demand more accurate tracking of luggage starting in June 2018, and the introduction of RFID baggage tags will be a big step towards achieving its aims. Visitors to Hummel Print’s stand can experience a live demonstration of the new RFID baggage tags in action.
Hummel Print
Stand 1625
Water- and dust-resistant data entry systems put to the test
PrehKeyTec will present a number of innovative data entry systems including the spill- and dust-proof MCI 111 keyboard with integrated OCR reader and MSR, as well as the ML 2 A standalone reader for cards, passports and other travel documents.
On the company’s stand will be an illuminated aquarium to help demonstrate the water resistance of PrehKeyTec’s products. Both devices are IATA FOID compliant and offer optional PCI DSS encryption.
The company will also present passport and ID reading devices such as the PKT 4000 document scanner with optional RFID reader, and the RFID/NFC biometric reader module ML 4, which can read e-passports. The products are compatible with all commonly used operating systems, and the company is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified. PrehKeyTec has almost 40 years’ experience in the development and manufacturing of data input solutions such as keyboards, modules and scanners.
PrehKeyTec
Stand 1410
Gone in 40 seconds
Designed to optimise the passenger experience, ICTS will present Mobi-Check, which the company claims is the only solution on the market that combines check-in capabilities with fully automated document checks embedded in the system.
Already operational at major international airports, Mobi-Check has been proved to reduce check-in processing time by 35%.
With its smart app design and three-step check-in, Mobi-Check completes a full process in less than 40 seconds, for more than 80% of passengers.
Mobi-Check offers a dynamic mobile solution in both self-service and airport/airline-operated mode, allowing for check-in operations to take place on-site and at off-airport locations.
ICTS Europe
STAND 510
Uninterrupted flow with open-door gates
The vast majority of passengers going through security and boarding gates have all their documents in order, have no bad intentions and have every right to pass. So why not let them do so freely and only shut the gate for the handful of others? Digicon will explore this ‘open door concept’ at Passenger Terminal EXPO 2018, with its dFlow and brand-new dViator gates.
On Digicon’s stand, visitors will be able to experience two new solutions. The company’s dFlow gate is normally open, but closes when unauthorised people try to pass. It allows integration with a host of identification technologies, including facial recognition, iris scans, no-touch fingerprint scanning, QR codes, MIFARE and others. This is combined with very accurate tracking of individuals as they pass through the gate, so tailgating and piggybacking are detected and blocked.
The result is a smooth flow of people – on average 30 per minute – without any security penalty. An added benefit is that gates can be made much wider than is traditionally the case, rendering separate lanes for wheelchair users redundant. What’s more, the technology can deal with people going in both directions through the same gate, which makes any installation extremely flexible. None of this is science fiction, either, as dFlow gates have been installed for two years at RIOgaleão Airport and have successfully dealt with the large volume of traffic generated by the Olympics.
Introduced at Passenger Terminal EXPO 2018 will be the dViator gate, which optimises passenger flow by redirecting unauthorised or specifically identified users to a holding zone for secondary treatment.
Stop by Digicon’s stand for a live demonstration of dFlow and dViator, or to talk about dPass, a new line of e-gates that uses the same technology as dFlow, but with two sets of doors for border control.
DIGICON SA
STAND 308
Check-in to the Conference
For a real insight into how a leading airport is preparing for a future, seamless travel experience, be sure to attend Passenger Terminal CONFERENCE’s ‘Technology: Passenger Journey’ track on Tuesday 20 March, where John Parfit, senior project lead, Heathrow Airport, will present a paper titled ‘Passenger automation strategy at Heathrow’.
The presentation will show how delivering passenger automation at Heathrow requires collaboration between a multitude of Heathrow teams, airlines, third-party suppliers, government and standards bodies. It will explore initiatives to date in areas such as self-service bag drop and biometric self-boarding, and demonstrate how live trials have been used to prove value and capability before service rollout.