{"id":65345,"date":"2017-10-11T10:47:41","date_gmt":"2017-10-11T08:47:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/?p=65345"},"modified":"2017-10-11T10:52:04","modified_gmt":"2017-10-11T08:52:04","slug":"technologies-biometrie-voyage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/technologies-biometrie-voyage","title":{"rendered":"Technology: biometrics takes shape in the world of travel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arriving at the airport, making your way to the boarding gate, then taking off without being slowed down by a succession of checks, without even having to pull out your boarding pass or passport: this is the dream of every business traveller. A dream that could soon become reality, as transport specialists work to develop new methods for identify travellers instantly and infallibly<\/strong>. A panacea for any immigration service...<\/p>\n

In practice, it's a matter of combining technology with people, in the technical sense of the term. Facial recognition, iris scanner, voice identification<\/strong> The airport lexicon is becoming increasingly futuristic, worthy of Douglas Adams' The Galactic Traveller's Guide. These identification methods are known as biometrics<\/strong>defined by CNIL<\/strong> (Commission nationale informatique et libert\u00e9s) as \"all the computer techniques used to automatically recognise an individual on the basis of their physical, biological or even behavioural characteristics<\/em>\".<\/p>\n

The use of biometrics is far from new. Without going back as far as Qin Shi Huangdi - the Chinese emperor who first authenticated certain documents with a digital signature, two centuries before our era - identification has had time to prove its worth in the world of travel. For several years now, the US immigration authorities have been using this type of system at international airports. And the installation of the Parafe<\/strong> (Rapid Automated Border Crossing) by the group Paris airports<\/strong> dates back to 2009. Since then, every passport issued in France has included a component storing two of its owner's fingerprints.<\/p>\n

What is more recent is the acceleration of test phases, the diversification of tools and their use at new stages in the traveller's journey. For some time now, not a week has gone by without an airport or airline carrying out a biometric experiment. In 2015, Alaska Airlines<\/strong> was a pioneer. At the time, the airline launched a test based on fingerprints to gain access to airport business lounges and then board without having to show a passport or boarding card. \"Our dream is that at every stage of air travel where you are asked to prove your identity, you can simply use your fingerprint.<\/em>\"said Jerry Tolzman, Director of Customer Research and Development at Alaska Airlines.<\/p>\n

Since then, other carriers have shared this dream and are looking to make it a reality. The airport of Schipol<\/strong> and the Dutch company KLM<\/strong> launched a test phase in February, with the ambition of being crowned \"Leading Digital Airport\" in 2018. Pre-checked-in passengers have access to a dedicated kiosk that uses the facial recognition<\/strong> for \"biometric boarding\", eliminating the need for a plane ticket and passport.<\/p>\n

From his side, Delta<\/strong> has been experimenting since May at the airport of Washington<\/strong> the system CLEAR<\/strong>. The first phase is limited to the business lounges, pending check-in and boarding. \"We are fast approaching the day when your fingerprints, iris or face will become the only form of identification you need.<\/em>\"promises Gil West, Delta's Chief Operating Officer.<\/p>\n

\"Delta<\/a>
Delta Airlines CLEAR system<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Closer to home, Air France<\/strong> should soon be embarking on its own biometric adventure. At the exhibition Viva Technology<\/strong> <\/a>held last June, French airline executives discussed the selfie ID\" project<\/strong>which could well become a reality as early as 2018. The idea would be to be able to use the traveller's photo stored on their smartphone as identification, authenticated thanks to an association with the NFC chip<\/strong> of its passport. Also in France, in Terminal 2F at Roissy-CDG, A\u00e9roports de Paris is experimenting with the Portuguese company Vision-Box<\/strong> the solution PARAFE II<\/strong>The new system, based on facial recognition, is also being tested at Marseille Provence airport.<\/p>\n

Australia is also setting its sights high with its \"Seamless Traveller<\/strong>. By replacing passport control with various types of biometric identification - fingerprints, facial recognition and iris scans - the local authorities intend to automate immigration controls for 90 % passengers by 2020<\/strong>. The airline industry is clearly in the front line, but the other players in the business travel sector are also getting busy.<\/p>\n

Since the beginning of the year, passengers Eurostar<\/strong> can opt for Facial recognition airlock<\/strong> at Paris-Nord station. The system was already available at London St Pancras<\/strong>Brussels-Midi station should soon be equipped with this system, also designed by the Portuguese company Vision-Box. In Sweden, the experiment goes much further. Perhaps even too far for some people's taste... Since this summer, the railway company SJ has been offering its passengers the chance to enjoy the benefits of the system. replace their ticket with an RFID chip implanted under the skin<\/strong>scanned by ticket inspectors. The mobile ticket on a smartphone is almost vintage...<\/p>\n

Improving fluidity<\/h2>\n

In the hotel industry, biometrics is still in the future, but the outlook is promising. 74 % of hoteliers surveyed by Oracle expect facial recognition to be adopted by 2025. Its use would then range from opening a room to identifying a loyal customer as soon as they enter the hotel, in order to offer them an ultra-personalised service. Travellers seem to share this vision, with 62 % of them believing that the use of biometrics would improve their stay, and in 41 % of cases increase their loyalty.<\/p>\n

The use of biometric technologies varies, but the objective remains the same: to increase fluidity and security. Rail stations and airports are more sensitive areas than ever. The attacks on Brussels and Istanbul airports were a reminder, if one were needed, that security measures are essential in such environments. The number of travellers is increasing exponentially.<\/p>\n

The International Air Transport Association (IATA<\/strong>) predicts that the number of international passengers will have doubled by 2035, reaching 7.2 billion. So we need to check in better and faster, at the risk of seeing the famous passenger journey turn into an interminable obstacle course. So what's the point of trying to improve an aircraft's performance if the wait on the ground becomes interminable?<\/p>\n

Very personal data<\/h2>\n

Business travellers, accustomed to airports all over the world and familiar with checks, obviously share this observation. But are they ready to give up their bodies to biometrics, to hand over highly personal data to the authorities, carriers, airports and even other intermediaries? In any case, most seem to be expecting promising developments in this area. According to the business travellers surveyed by Boxever in 2015, biometrics came well ahead (61 %) of the most promising technologies and services in the world of travel, far ahead of robots (29 %) and the collaborative economy (20 %). Specialist in airport technologies, SITA<\/strong> assures us that the general public is ready to enter the biometric era. Based on a study published this summer - the 12th edition of \"The Passenger IT Trends Survey<\/strong> -SITA estimates that a comfortable majority of passengers (57 %) would not hesitate to replace their passport or boarding card with biometrics if they had the opportunity to do so.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, it is in the interests of this high-tech player to send out such a message. The fact remains that the use of biometrics is gaining ground with the general public. For several years now, theiPhone<\/strong> identifies the fingerprint. The new iPhone X<\/strong> <\/a>unveiled on 12 September, goes even further with the Face ID facial recognition technology<\/strong>. The competition's Galaxy S8<\/strong> relies on an iris scanner. However - and Samsung<\/strong> has learned the hard way (see box below) - not all systems offer the same guarantees. The widespread use of biometrics will require technical and ethical standards to be put in place, otherwise the public will be exposed to serious problems.<\/p>\n