Industry Focus

Long Lines at Pre-Check

• By Ralph C. Jensen
• Nov 01, 2016

Remember back in the old days when having pre-check stamped on your boarding pass meant getting through security a little bit quicker, and with the convenience of not having to take your laptop out, removing your shoes and not having to have an inspection on toiletries.

You remember those days? They are long gone and TSA Pre-check is now as crowded as other lines at airport security entrances.

At one point, I actually bought an annual pass for a blue card, or something like that, so that I could expedite the security lines even quicker. That didn’t last long, either. The lines at security check points are just as long, and just as tedious as they have ever been.

In its infancy, Pre-check was an incredible tool for the business traveler who spent a lot of time at the airport, or any airport, to streamline access to the gate where that person would fly from. If you only have a carry on, a person could spend another half hour or so in the office and get more of their daily workload accomplished.

I loved Pre-check, not because I could stay at the office longer, but for the ease of getting through security. I don’t usually mind the idea of a 90 minute arrival window, (I’m always afraid I’ll get left behind, so I arrive early.) but there are those that are constantly arriving at the last minute to get through security.

Streamlined passenger flow, without the compromising security, would be the goal of every airport around the world. You have to wonder if the two can co-exist in today’s busy world.

It would seem that Vision-Box, a company headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, has brought to the market a biometric that can keep the lines of passengers flowing without compromising security efforts. The company recently installed six self-service security checkpoint eGates at Princess Julianna International Airport (SXM), located at St. Maarten that have been implemented as an integrated passenger experience program.

The first milestone of the comprehensive program has been achieved: six self-service Security Checkpoint eGates have been recently installed to provide a seamless experience to departing travelers, who will simply have to scan their Bar Coded Boarding Pass (BCBP) at the self-service eGates prior to entering departure hall. The eGates, integrated with the common-use infrastructure of the airport, offer a fast security control procedure, validating the authenticity of the boarding pass and confirming the passenger’s eligibility to enter the restricted area on the day of travel for all airlines operating on the island. Once the process is completed successfully, the passengers proceed to departure level.

“SXM Airport is proud of this accomplishment, which is another successful milestone,” said Larry Donker, SXM airport deputy managing director. “Automation has and continues to revolutionize the aviation industry. With self-service solutions being the new standard in the industry, SXM airport is making leaps and bounds towards its vision of offering passengers an experience that will move them.”

The biometric border control portfolio aimed at airports, airlines and immigration authorities, includes solutions addressing a variety of business scenarios which englobe security check-points, selfboarding gates and automated border control gates.

“This is indeed just the beginning,” said Jean-Francois Lennon, vice president for global business development and sales at Vision-Box. “With the latest generation of passenger identification technology in place, Princess Juliana International Airport is embracing the new era of aviation. In addition to the modernization of passenger experience, SXM will soon be ready to benefit from a game-changing asset made possible by a single token approach using biometrics.”

Every second, millions of images are being captured and processed by Vision-Box systems, installed right at the heart of the most prestigious organizations, who trust the biometric identity and digital video management solutions for their critical applications.

Covering the entire ID management life cycle, Vision-Box also delivers to governments and issuing authorities, solutions ranging from live biometric enrollment stations, document verification kiosks and digital document dispensers.

Starting with the process of identity enrollment, covering the life cycle of a biometric identity document, and finally assuring its verification and identification towards the user, the company’s product portfolio is linked together through a powerful service platform, which orchestrates the trusted chain of identity of the citizen. The solution portfolio enables the implementation of advanced border management systems, integrated with advanced digital video analytics solutions, intelligent biometric and biographic data management engines and danger management functionalities.

Doesn’t it seem too good to be true? The company has undergone rigorous testing and now operates in more than 1,200 automated border control solutions, in more than 70 international airports, and has more than 3,000 electronic identity systems deployed across the globe.

Not compromising security, I’m for the newest technology that will speed people through all checkpoints at international airports.

This article originally appeared in the November 2016 issue of Security Today.