Recent security concerns raised by the foiled plot in London to bomb airliners en route to the United States either help or hinder the registered traveler program concept, depending on who you ask. But prior to the August incident, biometric-based screening programs in Amsterdam, Orlando and Paris showed early promise to speed business travelers through checkpoints--presumably without sacrificing security levels--and generated high interest among local passengers. Officials on both sides of the Atlantic now are trying to expand such programs.
If announcements this month on the availability of pre-registration for planned programs in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, New York JFK and San Jose are indicators, the United States Transportation Security Administration soon will authorize airports to offer register traveler programs. In Europe, Franco Frattini, European Union Commissioner responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security, this month advocated a biometric-based program--using either fingerprints or iris scans--that would expedite passport control for voluntary participants and particularly benefit "frequently traveling persons."
"Positive profiling should be seen as a benefit, as it can mean you spend less time at borders," Frattini said, adding that such a system would "cut down the number of controls and even diminish the risk of ethnic profiling." As a result, the European Commission is considering a draft directive and "will present a feasibility study next spring," Frattini said.
Elements of the E.U. program could be fashioned from existing, smaller-scale programs. Schiphol Group's Privium system in Amsterdam, which uses iris-scan technology to streamline passport control processes, may be the best example of a working model. A pilot began in Oct 2001, followed a year later by the formal launch. By last month, there were 30,000 enrolled Privium members, according to Schiphol Group information.
Most Privium participants opt for the pricier membership level which includes priority parking and other perks. Overall, more than eight in 10 participants are Dutch, with the United Kingdom representing the largest foreign contingent. During an average week, Schiphol processes more than 10,000 outgoing members. It recently added a second lane at passport checkpoints to accommodate demand. Participating airlines include Air France, Alitalia, Cathay Pacific, Continental, Delta, Finnair, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines and United.
Schiphol Group now is looking to expand the program to other facilities around the world in which it owns stakes or helps to manage. For example, it is helping to develop a similar offering at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta. Dubbed Saphire, the program also uses iris scans to allow passengers to "fast track through immigration, both upon departure and arrival." Participating airlines include Air France, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, Garuda Indonesia and Lufthansa. Enrollment processing is scheduled to start this month.
Schiphol Group's involvement in other airports--including facilities in Brisbane and New York (JFK Terminal 4)--could lead to additional deployment.
?Meanwhile, Air France is testing a biometric-based system at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport's Terminal 2F. Named Pegase and supported by the French government, the program uses fingerprint recognition to "ease the flow of passengers at border control checkpoints," according to airline information. With the French Border Police handling the database of participants, Air France began the pilot in mid-2005 and had attracted more than 5,000 users by June 2006.
Like Privium in Amsterdam, passenger processing through Pegase takes roughly 15 seconds. Also like Privium, Pegase is open to passengers from European Union member states and Switzerland. Air France recently extended the test phase through May 2007.
In the United States, TSA's Registered Traveler program has fallen several months behindschedule. Some say TSA is on the verge of approving several airports beyond Orlando. "Formal negotiations with 22 airports" are ongoing, according to a TSA spokesperson.
Despite the delays and TSA's announcement that participants may have to pay $100 more than first expected, Verified Identity Pass--operator of Clear, one registered traveler program of several in the works--said it is optimistic that it soon would begin deployment at a few airports. It has already begun pre-enrollment on its Web site.
Verified also signed a deal with British Airways this fall, which has started marketing Clear to customers using New York JFK. Designed primarily for U.S. citizens, the Verified-BA agreement also covers joint marketing efforts to the carrier's corporate accounts and "jointly sponsored in-office corporate enrollment." Verified previously announced marketing pacts with several travel management companies.