Airports need better handling of volumes they are going to witness within next five years of time, there can't be any alternative to going digital, investing in paperless and touchless solutions to avoid the current state of chaos, many airports are facing due to sudden spike in travel demand.
Miami International Airport (MIA/KMIA) is looking forward and aims to be the first at any U.S. airport to implement biometric boarding by 2023.
MIA says,
"Passengers departing from Miami International Airport will soon be able to board their international flights with just the quick, touchless click of a camera, thanks to a recently approved contract that will implement biometric boarding at all of MIA’s 130-plus gates."
Using SITA’s Smart Path solution, which leverages NEC’s biometric identity platform, passengers will simply step up to a camera at the boarding gate and their picture is used to confirm their identities and their authorization to travel within seconds.
Smart Path solution will Speed up boarding times by up to 30% and freeing up agents to provide a more personalized service to those passengers who require it.
MIA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) first tested biometric boarding in 2019 during a pilot program with select airlines, with a significant improvement in boarding times.
Ralph Cutié, MIA Director and CEO says,
We look forward to elevating our passenger experience with this state-of-the-art boarding solution. MIA is now the busiest U.S. airport for international travel and continues to set new records each month for passenger growth. Biometric boarding is one of the major steps we are taking to pave the way for additional growth in the years to come.
SITA Smart Path Gates help reduce costs and improve the passenger experience. They can be used for many different functions including: self-boarding, lounge access, security and border control.
MIA’s launch of biometric boarding follows its airport-wide expansion in 2020 of Simplified Arrival, CBP’s enhanced process for international arrivals that uses facial biometrics to automate the manual document checks required for admission into the U.S.
Matthys Serfontein, President of Americas at SITA says,
Globally we see that passengers want a faster journey through the airport where key steps in the journey are automated. Our Smart Path biometric solution will enable future expansion to other touchpoints at MIA as well as the use of multiple forms of digital identity.
Source : Miami International Airport .
