Airports around the globe are pushing forward with self-service solutions to make passenger experience better, and to allow greater flexibility for resource and personnel management within the airport environment.

In addition to self-service check-in and baggage handling, the future of aviation travel may involve complete automation using the next generation of biometrics to handle passenger security screening, passport control and data sharing with government departments and agencies.

Rockwell Collins is a major player in the airports infrastructure sector, and has been working on and thinking about innovations in biometrics and identity management for almost a decade.

The use of biometrics, and in particular facial recognition technology, is faced with challenges in the aviation industry, quite aside from the privacy and data sharing issues that continue to be hotly debated around the world.

According to the Director of Strategic Programs for Rockwell Collins’ Global Airports business, Mr Tony Chapman, ‘Everyone is looking for something more unique than facial features. It’s good, but you have to look at the camera.’

Although the idea of complete, biometrics-powered automation is still some years away, it is good to know that some of the biggest innovators in the world are working towards a solution.