Category: Information Systems

airport

Heathrow Rolls out 3D Scanners to Streamline Airport Security

by James Gill, posted in Administration, Airports, Amenities, Facilities, Information Systems, Infrastructure, Security, Technology

Airports and airlines are employing new technologies to cut down on the wait times associated with air travel, from getting through security to lining up to board. One of the biggest time sinks that people usually experience at the airport is moving through the X-ray scanners in the security line. Now that many countries require people to remove most liquids from their carry-ons and have rules about how much someone can carry, these lines often get congested as travelers make sure they abide by restrictions and open up their luggage to remove items that need to go through separately.

3D Scanners Make It Easier to Process Checked Luggage

Luckily, airports may have a new strategy for streamlining the entire process. London-Heathrow Airport, the largest airport in the United Kingdom with more than 80 million passengers each year, recently introduced a 3D scanner as part of the baggage screening process at Terminal 5.

Terminal 5 handles about 60,000 bags each day. The baggage screening process, which is now completely automated, starts after a bag is dropped at departure. During the sorting process, bags go through an imaging process that essentially eliminates the need for human hands while remaining completely secure. Formerly, 2D images would necessitate significant human intervention to check through bags manually and ensure that no dangerous items are within, a process that also potentially puts employee lives at risk.

The new scanners work much like computed tomography (CT) scanners used in hospitals. The machine is essentially an X-ray scanner that takes many images at all angles to provide a 3D depiction of the contents of a bag. Using image recognition and human supervision, the machine flags suspicious items within a bag, and any flagged baggage is removed for further inspection before it makes it to the aircraft. Meanwhile, algorithms make it possible to identify explosives and other threats automatically.

The infrastructure at Heathrow had to be updated to accommodate the new machines, which are larger and twice as heavy as the former ones. This was difficult to carry out in a live airport, especially since floors had to be lifted and changed to support the new weight. In fact, it took Heathrow four years to update the 29 screening machines, largely because the majority of work could only be done during the four hours at night when flights do not occur.

luggage

How the New Technology Will More Directly Benefit Travelers

Unfortunately, this technology may not exactly excite passengers, as they do not see the differences happening behind the scenes. What will benefit passengers more is bringing this 3D imaging technology directly to the security line, which is the project that Heathrow has taken on since the completion of Terminal 5.

Heathrow plans to use the same CT technology to scan hand luggage, which would eliminate the requirement of taking liquids out of carryon luggage. The technology makes it possible for staff members to zoom in on and rotate images of the contents of luggage for a more thorough inspection. The scanners can also effectively identify the specific liquids contained within the luggage.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently called upon airports throughout the United Kingdom to implement 3D scanners in airports by the end of 2022 in an effort to cut down on lines and wait times. The United Kingdom has restrictions on flying with fluids similar to those in the United States. If the new initiative significantly helps move passengers through the airport, as predicted, it would not be surprising to see the same technology adopted more widely in the United States in the coming few years. Already, O’Hare in Chicago and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta have begun using the technology. Heathrow is the first airport in the United Kingdom to begin implementing CT scanners in security lines, a project that will cost approximately $61.5 million USD and take several years to complete.

The Potential Downsides of New 3D Scanning Technology

While the price tag may sound shocking, UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has asserted that aviation companies, rather than taxpayers, would collectively cover the costs of implementing this technology. However, there is always the possibility that airlines will increase their ticket prices to offset the cost. Some passengers may not mind paying a premium on their tickets to save themselves time spent waiting in line, but the technology meant to speed movement through the airport could also hurt overall sales, at least in the short term.

It is also worth mentioning that the new technology does not eliminate the ban on traveling with liquids in excess of 100 milliliters—instead, it prevents the need to remove the bottles from a bag. However, travelers would no longer need to house their bottles of liquids in transparent plastic bags.

aircraft boarding

Airlines Are Using These New Technologies to Improve Boarding

by James Gill, posted in Airports, Facilities, Information Systems, Passengers, Personnel, Technology, Transportation

The airport experience is full of potentially annoying processes, from standing in line to check a bag to moving slowly through a security line. However, administrators often forget about the boarding process when they are trying to improve the airport customer experience. Social norms can collapse during boarding: passengers often willfully ignore boarding zones to cut the line or argue loudly with gate staff about their bags.

The boarding process could be improved in a number of ways, yet few people have focused on ways to do so until recently. Today, several companies are building technologies that could make boarding simpler and more efficient for all passengers.

RFID and Paperless Travel Could Help Improve Boarding

One technology that could solve a particularly annoying piece of this puzzle is RFID (radio frequency identification). Many flyers are reluctant to check their carry-on bags because they fear that the luggage will not be waiting for them at their destination. Furthermore, with the institution of fees for checked bags, many passengers simply want to save money, so they insist on bringing their luggage on board. The issue with this is the lack of storage space on most flights. Not every traveler can bring a full-size carry-on and personal item on the plane—there’s simply not enough space. Delta began using RFID to track bags in 2016, and British Airways recently made waves with TAG, a reusable digital bag tag that provides a means of tracking baggage throughout a flight.

passengers

In the near future, RFID may become much more common on airlines as a means of avoiding issues caused by gate checks. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) voted a year ago to create an RFID standard for use with luggage and more recently passed a plan to require that airlines and airports around the world use RFID to track luggage. However, there is no plan for implementing the technology yet.

Another technological advancement that could ease the boarding process involves travel documents. Paperless travel is becoming more popular and can significantly streamline boarding processes, not to mention eliminate the waiting time involved in printing boarding passes and other documentation. The World Economic Forum recently announced an initiative called the Known Traveler Digital Identity program, which allows passengers to store passport information on a mobile phone rather than on the chip contained within a physical passport. The project uses interoperable digital identity and other new technologies to make this process safe, secure, and seamless for passengers, and it would not be surprising to see it adopted widely in the coming years. At launch, the program is allowing travel between Canada and the Netherlands without the need for a passport.

Biometric Technology and Its Potential Complications

Another technology that could simplify the boarding process has received a great deal of criticism, which has highlighted some important issues that need to be addressed before it is adopted more widely. This technology is biometrics. Some people fear that the implementation of biometrics, such as facial recognition technology, will lead to tracking systems that violate civil liberties. The World Economic Forum says that there are measures to limit the storage of such information, which has become a contentious issue with recent data breaches of large organizations. Consent should be required each time data is sent, for example. This rule would give travelers more control over their personal data than they currently have with a passport.

biometrics

Already, several airlines are experimenting with biometrics to confirm passengers’ identities and make boarding easier. Norwegian Air has introduced such technology at Los Angeles International Airport, and Air France-KLM recently announced a biometric boarding pilot project at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. These airlines’ experiences may reveal solutions to the problems in implementing biometrics and lead to technology that is both secure and efficient for travelers. Around the world, JetBlue, Qantas, British Airways, and Delta are also testing biometric boarding. Airports themselves are investing in biometrics as well. Boston Logan International Airport recently adopted CLEAR biometric technology to shorten security lines.

Non-technological Strategies for Improving Boarding

Of course, not all efforts to improve the boarding process are digital. United Airlines, for example, recently introduced a two-color system as a complement to its five boarding areas. The colors are determined by frequent flyer status. So far, it seems that the new system has improved average boarding times and helped create more satisfied customers.

Delta, likewise, has investigated how it could redesign the boarding process to be more efficient. The airline has discussed removing the podium altogether, as well as boarding lines, by created designated chairs for passengers. Gate agents would serve more like hosts than ticket-takers to focus on relationships between customer and airline, rather than have passengers sort themselves out. For this to work, however, the airline will need to radically shift how people think about boarding and create trust that this new system is truly efficient.

facial recognition

What You Need to Know about Airport Facial Recognition Technology

by James Gill, posted in Airports, Information Systems, Infrastructure, Security, Technology

Airports across the United States are quickly adopting new technologies to make the experience of flying as simple as possible for passengers. One of the technologies that is being adopted rather quickly is facial recognition, which has led some people to become rather hesitant about the implications of this technology. On the surface, facial recognition seems like a great way to speed up the process of flying. Already, on some flights you do not need to present any form of identification or even a ticket because a computer system verifies your identity based on your face alone.

A number of different airlines and airports are piloting this technology. JetBlue, for example, has already scanned 150,000 faces and used this information to verify international travelers on their flights. Delta has created a biometric terminal in Atlanta that uses facial recognition at check-in, baggage drops, security, and boarding. With this technology, flights are able to board nearly 10 minutes faster due to the time saved per passenger. While the convenience of this technology is obvious, the hesitation comes with the fact that the technology is largely unproven and involves storing personal information that could possibly be stolen in the future.

airport

Technology Could Be Used to Increase Security and Make Flights Safer

Facial recognition is an opt-in technology at airports that is only used for international flights. In other words, American citizens do not need to consent to having their faces scanned if they do not wish to do so. At the same time, trading in this personal information for an easier experience at the airport, which is already a stressful environment, sounds very alluring so it would not come as a surprise if passengers decide to jump at the chance to get through security faster. In the future, it is possible that such technology could be used to increase security and make flights safer, which would offer more reasons to participate, but as of right now the main question is one of convenience.

The fears of many people were confirmed recently when US Customers and Border Protection (CBP) announced that photos taken of travelers had been compromised in an attack on the organization. Officials said that the images stolen included ones of people’s faces, as well as their license plates. The attack was actually launched on a federal subcontractor, but it raises the question of how airports can implement technology like facial recognition if there is no guarantee that personal information, including a face scan, remains protected. The images stolen in this event were taken as part of border defense. While no passport nor travel document images were compromised, the event has raised concerns when it comes to facial recognition and travel.

How the Current Facial Recognition Model Works

Currently, facial recognition at airports occurs in a different way than it does with the technology that initially put it in the public spotlight: the iPhone. When someone uses Face ID, the process occurs internally over your iPhone, and Apple never receives any information. However, at the JetBlue e-gates, individuals can put their feet on blue markers and look toward a box that takes a picture and transmits it to CBP, which then reports back about whether or not the individual is cleared to board. The system has photos of travelers stored that it compares against photos taken at the gate, and these stored images come mostly from passports and visa applications. For this reason, the technology is only employed on international flights.

At present, the technology is perhaps not as reliable as it should be. While the research about it has been unofficial, it shows that a significant portion—up to 15 percent of passengers—were not approved when they should have been. Furthermore, one passenger was allowed through even while wearing sunglasses when they were trying to test the system.

airport

Some of the Kinks That Need to Be Worked Out

At the same time, people who do not match simply go through the normal process of having their passports checked by an agent, which is not a major disruption. However, this issue could become a bigger one if facial recognition is employed in many different places in an airport. Perhaps the real lesson here is that facial recognition software just needs to improve before it is more widely implemented at airports, particularly for domestic flights.

Another issue that still needs to be worked out is one of security. Given the recent data breach, it is possible that pictures used for convenience could become stolen. Technological improvements are only beneficial when security keeps pace with them and ensures that the convenience offered does not come at a price. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how the conversation goes in the months and years ahead and what kinds of solutions are offered in terms of keeping data safe, as more airlines begin to adopt the technology.

artificial-intelligence

This Is How AI Could Improve Airport Security

by James Gill, posted in Administration, Airports, Facilities, Information Systems, Infrastructure, Security, Technology

Airports are quickly adopting a range of new technologies, from autonomous vehicles to artificial intelligence (AI), to improve passenger experiences and drive efficiency. One of the most significant ways in which AI is being implemented in airports has to do with security.

Across the globe, airports have implemented a number of new safety measures in recent decades because of emerging threats. In some instances, these measures have created significant delays when it comes to moving through the airport. As a result, the customer experience has suffered. This means airports are feeling mounting pressure to streamline the process as much as possible without creating any lapses in security.

Many airports, as well as the governments that back them, have looked to AI as a means of accomplishing the difficult feat of relieving wait times while maintaining strict security standards.

For example, the United Kingdom government recently invested 1.8 million pounds into the development of a new AI system in airports across the country. The Transportation Security Administration in the United States has implemented computed tomography (CT) scanners that implement AI to identify threats in several major airports. In other parts of the world, facial recognition has been implemented at customs and immigration stations.

These technologies do seem to have significant promise when it comes to improving security while minimizing wait times. Here’s how:

Machine Learning and Its Potential for Improving Security

AI

One form of AI that shows the most promise is known as machine learning. AI systems can become more “intelligent” as they receive more information. In terms of airport security, systems can become very good at identifying threats based on patterns and do so much more quickly than a human could. Machine learning has driven trust in AI-based systems a great deal in the past few years.

Industry experts believe that implementing machine learning in airports could help avoid the need to scan certain items separately, such as laptops and other large pieces of electronic equipment. Letting passengers leave these items in their carry-on luggage as they pass through security would eliminate a significant amount of the delay caused in security lines.

One system employing this technology has already been developed. Called the Evolv Edge system, it uses cameras, millimeter-wave technology, and facial recognition to detect threats while people move through a scanner. The system successfully ignores non-dangerous items, such as keys and belt buckles, while reliably identifying explosives, firearms, and other weapons and hazardous materials.

Up to 900 people can pass through the scanner in an hour, making it not only more reliable than a traditional x-ray scanner, but also much faster. Evolv Edge is already being used to screen employees at the Oakland International Airport. It is expected to be deployed at other international airports soon.

How AI Could Reinvent the Airport’s Approach to Security

AI has already made a significant impact on airport security through biometrics. In the coming years, this technology will likely become even more widespread. A recent report showed that more than three-quarters of airports had new biometrics programs in the works for the coming five years. While people mostly associated biometrics with face scans, fingerprints and retinal scans are also expected to grow in popularity because of their reliability.

Some researchers want to go even further with this technology and have broached the possibility of behavioral biometrics. For example, University of Manchester researchers have created a system that identifies individuals based on gait and walking patterns as they step across a pressure pad. Each person has a distinctive, singular walking pattern.

Another application of biometrics is already being tested. The iBrderCtrl project involves an AI program in which a virtual border guard asks standard questions to individuals in an immigration line. If the system believes that the passenger is lying because of facial expressions, the individual gets passed on to a human for further review.

Of course, there is the question of accuracy with such technology. Early implementation of iBrderCtrl had a success rate of 76 percent. The developers believe that tweaks will make it 85-percent accurate. However, this rate may still not be acceptable to some airports, at least not as a primary means of maintaining safety.

airport

The Challenges to Implementing AI-Driven Airport Security

Scrutiny of these systems remains high, especially after some prior failures. In the United States, $160 million was spent on body scanners that were later found to let serious threats through during undercover testing. Because of this, the standard is very high for AI technologies.

However, there is another hurdle that airports need to surmount: the amount of information collected by these systems, especially when it comes to biometrics. A great deal of information security is necessary to safeguard the privacy of passengers. In other words, while there is a lot of potential for AI in airport security, there are also significant challenges to overcome.