After a two-week test phase, Flughafengesellschaft Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) has launched digital facial recognition service BER Biometrics for passengers departing from Terminal 1.
Passenger experience
The contactless service will enable travelers to move through the terminal without showing their boarding pass. It will be in use across various stations and services at the terminal, including at passengers’ self-service baggage check-in, and will provide access to the BER Runway fast-track check-in facility (with an extended time slot) and access to the BER Tegel Lounge after prior booking.
To use BER Biometrics, passengers must register via the SmartDepart app from the airport’s partner company AirSphere and submit a selfie. The service can be booked from up to seven days before departure. A live image of the passenger is then taken on-site in the terminal at the designated stations. The SmartDepart app is used to match the files from the app against the files from the images taken in the terminal and the BER Biometrics service is activated.
Interested passengers can use BER Biometrics at two signposted self-service kiosks on the departures level, at the entrance to a control lane for the BER runway and at a column in front of the Tegel lounge. The app provider will delete the matching data after the flight. The stored passenger data remains in the app, which the user can manage independently at any time.
BER Biometrics is a voluntary and free service for passengers aged 16 and over. While it replaces the presentation of the boarding pass, passengers must still carry official travel documents, including their boarding pass. As before, all services at BER Airport can still be used without BER Biometrics.
Biometric authentication
To realize the technical aspects of the project, including software, the airport company worked with AirSphere and is already using its boarding pass control software at BER.
Frank Pfleiderer, managing director of AirSphere, said, “AirSphere and Berlin Brandenburg Airport have been working together successfully for many years in the automation of passenger handling processes. We are delighted to have BER as the first customer for our new SmartDepart app and offer passengers at BER a new travel experience. We shall continue to expand the range of services in the app and will soon be offering corresponding services via the app at other airports.”
Thomas Hoff Andersson, managing director of operations at BER, commented, “BER Biometrics is a free service for interested passengers and is entirely voluntary. The digital service enables them to plan and organize their stay at the airport more effectively. Thanks to contactless access to various process locations, users can reach their departure gate more conveniently and quickly. For the airport company, BER Biometrics is another building block toward a smart airport of the future.”
In related news, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) recently became the latest airport to join the Board of Airline Representatives in Germany (BARIG). The airport will work with other BARIG members to jointly meet the challenges of the industry. Click here to read the full story.