SITA and Fraport are enabling all airlines at Frankfurt Airport to jointly use face biometrics as identification from check-in to boarding the aircraft.
A First for Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt now becomes the first European airport to offer full-coverage biometric systems, representing another further step in the expansion of Fraport’s digital passenger processes.
The latest SITA and Fraport collaboration promises to make Frankfurt Airport the first in Europe to provide biometric touchpoints for all airline passengers, ensuring a streamlined and frictionless airport experience.
Your Face as Your Boarding Pass
Effectively, the new technology makes your face the boarding pass. With SITA’s Smart Path biometric solution, powered by NEC, this concept becomes a reality.
Passengers can securely register their biometrics in advance, either through the Star Alliance biometric app on their mobile device or directly at the check-in kiosk using their biometrics-enabled passports.
What’s even more remarkable is that the entire registration process will now only take a few seconds, saving precious time for travelers.
A Farewell to Physical Documents
Once registered, passengers can glide through the Frankfurt Airport checkpoints without the need for physical documents.
Biometric facial recognition technology has been seamlessly integrated into the airport’s infrastructure, and it’s already in use by more than 12,000 passengers at check-in, boarding pass control, and boarding gates.
Dr. Pierre Dominique Prümm, Executive Director of Aviation and Infrastructure at Fraport AG, highlights the significance of this innovation, stating,
“Together with Lufthansa and the Star Alliance airlines, we have been offering this innovative service since 2020, an experience – with the help of SITA and NEC – which will now be extended to all airlines.”
“We are the first European airport to offer all passengers a contactless and convenient passenger journey using biometrics. Our goal for the coming months is to equip at least 50 percent of all check-in kiosks, pre-security, and boarding gates with the new and pioneering technology.”
A Faster Airport Experience
David Lavorel, CEO of SITA, emphasizes the positive impact of biometric touchpoints on the passenger experience: “We have seen that the more we can automate the passenger journey in the airport, the better the experience.”
“Biometric touchpoints significantly speed up the mandatory steps in the airport, giving passengers more time to relax before the flight rather than waiting in line.”
“We know from our research that where biometrics are introduced, more than 75 percent of passengers will gladly use them. Therefore, we are pleased to bring the benefits of a faster airport journey to Frankfurt Airport.”
Naoki Yoshida, Corporate Senior Vice President at NEC, expresses their pride in supporting Fraport’s groundbreaking approach, saying,
“As a pioneering biometrics technology partner of Star Alliance and SITA, we are proud to be able to support Fraport’s innovative and ground-breaking approach to streamlining passenger facilitation by creating a seamless travel experience throughout one of Europe’s most important gateways for travel.”
Biometric Technology
SITA’s biometric solution leverages the NEC I:Delight digital identity management platform, which is ranked as the world’s most accurate face recognition technology in vendor tests conducted by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
This accolade ensures that passengers who have opted to use the service can be identified quickly and accurately, even while on the move.
