Automated Passenger Authentication Solutions Based on Biometric Self-Service Processes

At the world showroom for innovation in passenger experience in Aruba, where Europe Meets the Americas, the renowned leader in biometric solutions for airport proposes a documentless traveler “Happy Flow”.

Lisbon, May 16th, 2014

Airports and Airlines of reference around the world are gradually more engaged in finding ways to ensure a positive passenger experience while guaranteeing the highest standards of security and safety in airports. Vision-Box® is showing the direction this week in Aruba at the Happy Flow demo meeting, an initiative launched by the Government of Aruba intended to implement innovative technologies to improve airport experience in Aruba’s airport and to establish a pre- clearance situation between Aruba and The Netherlands. The event gathers the initiative’s steering committee consisting of the Prime Minister of Aruba, the CEOs of the Schiphol Group, KLM and Aruba Airport, the Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Justice of The Netherlands, and is combined with other initiatives, such as the presentation of the first KLM biofuel flight.

For the second year, Vision-Box® was the company selected, after a rigorous tendering process, to present a live demonstration of the “Aruba Happy Flow”, a concept that will not only improve processes in Aruba but shape the future of passenger experience in airports worldwide in the next years.

The focus of the “Aruba Happy Flow” is to offer passengers a seamless, fast, intuitive and secure ground process through the use of the latest face recognition technology and state-of-the-art self-service equipment at every control point of the airport. But what else is so special about this concept? Jean-François Lennon, Director of Global Business Development, Sales & Marketing at Vision-Box® answers: “This project is indeed a revolution in the airport ecosystem. For the first time ever, biometrics is being used as the main passenger identification token in an airport. Instead of using either a passport or a boarding pass, the passenger swiftly goes through all airport control points where he simply has to have his identity checked by looking at facial recognition cameras”.

The process is simple and check-in plays a central role. At that stage, the passenger’s passport is validated and his face image is collected; the information is aggregated in the “Traveler Data Envelope”, and shared with airports, airlines and border authorities. After check-in, the passenger will be able to go through all airport control points without presenting any document, as biometrics will be the sole identification means. He can even check his bag at a self-service bag drop belt, where his identity is checked by looking at a facial recognition camera. The process is 100% self- service and will make the journey of a traveler much quicker and simpler.

The “Happy Flow” suggested by Vision-Box® is truly a customer-centric experience: while hardware was carefully designed to be attractive, engaging and ergonomic, even proactively adjusting to the passenger (i.e. in height), software interfaces are intuitive and friendly, providing relevant instructions and constant feedback to users (and even welcoming them by their name!).

In this context, the passenger is not the only one that benefits. By using a robust central management platform integrating identity management, security and border control features, airports, airlines and border authorities will have a full overview of the travelers’ progress across all control stages, with clear gains in security, revenue and efficiency. Data sharing is no longer an issue either: the “Privacy by Design” approach ensures a sustainable model to meet each party’s needs and strategies, as well as business and legal objectives and constraints. 

By setting up a pre-clearance process between Aruba and The Netherlands, for example if a passenger is identified as ineligible to enter the destination country or unable to fly for safety reasons, the airline will be immediately notified and be able to activate the adequate security measures. "Emphasis is on preventive measures, not on reactive ones" explains the security specialist Jean-François Lennon. And he adds: "The relevance of the pre-clearance initiative is world-ranging. It means these countries are building a broad-based platform for further cooperation and intelligence exchange, which will be a case study of world relevance for more cooperative, efficient and reliable border management around the world".
We won’t have to wait much longer to see the Happy Flow in a real environment. A permanent pilot project is planned to be implemented before the end of 2014, and will make Aruba the place to visit!