Biometric identity software provider Daon, reports the successful registration of 700 frequent flyers in the first stage of the US Registered Traveller Pilot Programme at Minneapolis St Paul International Airport.
At the end of the first day of the programme Daon’s technology successfully registered the necessary biometric identifiers of the participants without a hitch, the firm says. Daon will extend its core biometric and biographic management software, including fingerprint and iris recognition, to Los Angeles and Houston airports in the near future. UK and European airlines and airports are monitoring the progress of the pilot scheme in the hope that biometric solutions will break the unfortunate correlation between intensified security and increased delays. Under the terms of the US programme, registered flyers bypass secondary security checks in return for personal information and biometric imprints from finger and iris. The queues of passengers keen to register their biometric details are consistent with wider research conducted by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives. Its study revealed that close to three quarters of business travellers would be happy to pay to join such a scheme. Tom Grissen, Daon’s CEO, says: “There was a certain irony watching hundreds of passengers queuing cheerfully in a bid to reduce queuing time, but it just shows how keen frequent flyers are to reduce their journey time. We’re here to prove to the world that our technology is the one that will make the passenger experience more convenient without sacrificing their security.” The firm adds that given the global nature of travel the US pilot is likely to impact frequent travellers across the world. Already changes to the US Visa Waver Programme have forced the UK Passport Service to begin trialling a new passport that contains biometric information.
