Can Biometric Security Balance Between Safety and Efficiency?
Knowing who people are as they pass through security, who is potentially harmful, when a threat arises and what to do when it does – it’s knowledge necessary to keep travelers safe. It’s an important field and not a day passes that you don’t read another article covering some security breach in the papers.
Since 9/11, there’s no question that security check lines have gotten slower, but what do you expect when passengers are required remove most of their clothes and submit themselves for full body scans. Lines are longer, waiting times are longer. There has been some discussion about how biometric facial recognition might help speed things up in a non-obtrusive way, but this isn’t the only solution.
Business travelers are constantly racing through airports, gates, and check-in desks only to get caught up in slow moving security lines. Some airlines are trying to combat the long wait with VIP lines for frequent travelers. Of course, first and business class commuters get special treatment – treatment they pay for. When you’re late for your flight literally standing in line without any movement, paying an extra amount can seem pretty appealing.
In recent weeks, two airports have been named as the first airports to get a new sort of EZPass-style lane. Indianapolis and Denver are leading the way with a strong push from members of Congress, some business travel groups, and airports.
According to a some recent articles, legislation is now pending in Congress that would make the Transportation Security Administration support a new registered traveler program for passengers that were deemed low risk. When you arrive at the airport, it’s up in the air how long you’re going to have to stand in line, and by registering into one of these programs, a passenger would be able to rely on quick wait times upon arrival. Frequent fliers would be required to have a thorough background check and carry a biometric identity card that they could quickly scan while passing through the line.
It’s important to know who someone says they are, so companies are making efforts along these lines to help expedite the process on both the traveler’s and the airport’s end.
In addition, new companies are getting involved with US Customs and Border Protection. In a program called Global Entry, frequent fliers can undergo background pre-checks to bypass long immigration lines when returning home at the end of a trip. The enrollment is increasing dramatically – from 16,000 members to 54,000 in the last 9 months alone. Apparently, a Global Entry user could swipe an ID card at a kiosk and be through immigration in 60 seconds.
Homeland security is an important aspect to our contemporary society, but so is automation and efficiency. Where do you draw the line and is there, perhaps, a happy medium where we can feel safe and still arrive on time to our destination? We would love to hear your thoughts!
Reviving Fast Lanes at Security
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