Some 400 Lufthansa employees at Frankfurt Airport (Germany) have begun testing fingerprint-based check-in and boarding procedures. In its efforts to make its airport handling processes faster, more secure and more efficient, the German airline has decided to test this innovative approach in practice. The solution was developed and implemented by the IT service partner Siemens Business Services, with the support of the Siemens software subsidiary PSE.
In a second stage to be launched in 2006, the "Trusted Traveller" project will be transferred to real-life operation at the airport and also offered at a second, pilot airport, initially for frequent flyers on a voluntary basis.
This is how it works. When checking in at the terminal, Lufthansa passengers have their fingers scanned and stored in a database. Together with the check-in information, the fingerprint is printed in encrypted form as a barcode on the boarding pass. During boarding, the code on the pass is then checked against the actual fingerprint. If there is a match, the passenger is free to board the plane. At present, biometric procedures in air traffic control are voluntary, but they could in future be made mandatory by EU directive.
Related stories:
Before Your Flight: A Fingerprint Scan at the Check-in Desk
Lufthansa has teamed up with Siemens to successfully test a biometric process for check-in and boarding at Frankfurt Airport. The tests proved the feasibility of identifying airline passengers from their fingerprints. The testing was conducted with 400 Lufthansa employees and examined technical functions, efficiency and acceptance. Processing times and security benefits were also analyzed. The technology passed the tests with flying colors, and the system is now ready to be launched on the market.
RFID Chips Make Luggage Transport Reliable
Transporting passenger baggage between the world’s airports is expected to become far more reliable in the future — with RFID technology. Siemens has developed a system that relies on a radio chip to replace the bar code attached to a suitcase. The new technology will substantially reduce scanning errors and resulting sorting and delivery errors.
Study identifies new patterns of brain activation used in forming long-term memories
Researchers at New York University and Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science have identified patterns of brain activation linked to the formation of long-term memories. The study, which appeared in the journal
Neuron, also offered an innovative and more comprehensive method for gauging memories. It asked subjects to recall the content of a television sit-com, which more accurately simulated real-life experiences because it required retrieving material that occurs in more complex settings than typically exist in a laboratory environment.
The Best Way to Board a Plane
Most airlines board passengers the same way, first filling the seats in the back of the plane, and then moving to the front. After a recent experience boarding a plane in this manner, Fermilab physicist Jason Steffen wondered if there might be a better way. So, in the midst of studying gravitation and axion-like particles, Steffen took a short break to investigate an optimal boarding method for airline passengers.
Biometric Passport Control: No Place To Hide
Siemens is making border crossings in Europe more secure through biometric systems that store individual characteristics such as fingerprints and facial photos on a chip integrated into a passport.
The car that diagnoses its own servicing needs
An intelligent system that could before long enable cars to tell mechanics which of their parts need servicing has been unveiled by engineers at the University of Cambridge.
The car that diagnoses its own servicing needs
An intelligent system that could before long enable cars to tell mechanics which of their parts need servicing is being unveiled by engineers at the University of Cambridge.
Measles scare keeping students in Canada
Canadian officials recently barred 41 Japanese students and teachers from returning home after one girl reported having measles symptoms.