Passengers travelling with Spirit Airlines’ redesigned ticket lobby at Dallas Fort Worth in the US can make the most of the airport’s newly installed self-bag drop systems.
The new systems are equipped with the latest biometric technology to offer passengers a contactless identification process when checking bags. Around 400-500 bags are currently checked in at DFW’s new stations every day. With the biometric authentication the entire process takes up to 70 seconds, reducing the average passenger transaction time by 30% compared to previously.
“Dallas Fort Worth Airport is committed to identifying and testing innovative solutions that deliver secure, efficient and frictionless customer experiences,” said DFW Airport VP of Innovation, Jodie Brinkerhoff. “We are excited to support our partner Spirit Airlines as it introduces a self-directed, biometrically enabled check-in and bag drop process – which ultimately provide the customer with greater control and fewer requirements for face-to-face processing and document exchanges.”
Installed in collaboration with Spirit Airlines, Materna’s self-bag drop technology achieved industry recognition as the Best Airport Innovation at the 2022 APEX Awards earlier in December.
Materna first partnered with Spirit in 2019 to develop the US’ first biometric matching solution for domestic air travel. Combining it with the automated baggage handling systems enabled the airline to reduce face-to-face interaction and offer a smoother, seamless passenger check-in experience. Following a strict testing period with biometric authentication, the DFW system will replace the need for a manual ID scan by check-in staff. Materna’s biometric solution is capable of analysing key physical features on more than 50,000 forms of ID from nearly 200 countries, and also detects fraudulent documents for an extra layer of security.
“We’ve been on a mission to find opportunities to continue improving every facet of the guest experience, to include investing in automation and self-service to streamline the travel journey so guests spend less time in lobbies,” said Mike Byrom, VP of Airport Services for Spirit Airlines. “Our guests are tech-savvy, and they appreciate options. Also, limiting touchpoints and unnecessary face-to-face interactions is currently changing the way airports operate.”
