One of the most unique aspects of an airport (and there are many) is the truly diverse nature of its users: the passengers. In one terminal, a frequent flyer may be sat next to a first-time flyer, behind them, a family due to go on holiday, a young-candidate flying to a job interview, and an elderly couple celebrating a marriage milestone. As automated as our industry has become, aviation ensures it’s still as ‘human’ as 100 years ago — and this is the important thing for companies implementing automated processes is to recognise.

Finding the right balance of automation and human interaction when trying to deliver the right customer treatment is a sweet-spot, but several airports are achieving it through the delivery of new technology, while maintaining staff support.

At Hamad International Airport here in Doha, the airport has implemented five self-service touchpoints consisting of; self-check-in, self-bag-drop, pre-immigration, airport wayfinding and self-boarding — all of which are biometric enabled, the crucial part of this significant development. It meant that from the moment the self-check in kiosk matched me with my passport, my face became the passport and the boarding pass, allowing me to go ‘hands-free’ for the rest of my journey.

85% of customer interactions with any company is already without human involvement, but often this can be disadvantageous to customers. However, the use of biometrics such as at HIA genuinely enables passengers to travel in a ‘smart’ way by ensuring I’m recognised at various checkpoints allowing a paper-free, hassle-free experience.

With regards to the system itself, the solution puts data security and privacy first — an important priority, given the cyber-focused world we live in today, where data is perhaps more valuable than some of our physical assets.

Security in aviation remains critical as threats continue to evolve, but the biometric technology is in compliance with global data protection legislation — the implications for airport, airline and passenger are far too important to get this wrong, and this is something Badr al-Meer, COO of Hamad International Airport admits.

Al-Meer agrees with me that machines are here to make things easier for both agents and customers — I can now pass through the airport being 100% in control of my ground experience, which I found was simplified, clear and straight-forward (especially when considering how much technology is required to ensure all of this works). “But humans must present to step in when something goes wrong” I tell al-Meer, who agrees and admits that if there’s one stand-out international airport for customer service, it’s his.

40% of the home carrier Qatar Airways’ passengers preferring to self-check-in; and a further 20% are already opting for self-bag-drop. While the expansion of HIA is coming soon (first phase completed by FIFA 2022), the use of biometrics and smart technology enables airlines to facilitate more passengers without any physical expansion of the check-in facilities. Shorter queues and reduced operating expenditure — are also cited as reasons to invest in tech.

I found the biometric experience (still under trial) to meet my expectations of, for example, wanting the ‘bag drop’ to be a genuine ‘bag drop’. I wasn’t disappointed. One quick glance at the camera lens, and the screen informed me to place my bag onto the scales…and off it glided into the underworld of the airport, ready to be loaded onto a flight to the Maldives.

Granted, the thought of taking this much control of the passenger journey, and having only your face replace the need to show, scan, display boarding pass & passport will not be for everyone…but as with a lot of technology, having the option there is what the modern air travel experience requires — and so far, it works well.

*The author is an aviation analyst. Twitter handle: @AlexInAir


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