SITA has teamed up with the world’s largest airline alliance, Star Alliance, and NEC Corporation to allow frequent flyer programme customers of Star Alliance to use their biometric identity across any participating airline at any participating airport.
The agreement between the three companies is aimed at accelerating the availability of biometric self-service touchpoints across Star Alliance’s member airlines while delivering a faster, touchless airport experience.
By connecting to SITA’s Smart Path solution, the Star Alliance biometrics platform will be able to use SITA’s shared airport infrastructure already available in more than 460 airports.
In addition, Smart Path can be easily integrated with NEC I: platform, which allows passengers who have opted to use the service to be identified quickly and with a high degree of accuracy, even on the move. The I: Delight platform is also able to recognise passengers even when wearing a mask, an increasingly important feature for travel during the current pandemic. The platform is already being used at several European airports by Star Alliance member airlines.
Once a passenger has enrolled in Star Alliance’s biometrics platform, they can then pass through biometrically enabled touchpoints across multiple member airlines and participating airports using just their face as their boarding pass. This speeds up passenger flow through the airport while making each step completely touchless, supporting health and hygiene safety measures as a result of the global pandemic.
“Together with NEC, SITA is pleased to be supporting Star Alliance in bringing the full benefits of biometric identity to their member airlines,” said Barbara Dalibard, CEO, SITA. “Passengers have long welcomed the advantages of control and speed automation brings to the passenger journey; a trend that has been accelerated by COVID-19. With this agreement the benefits of biometric identity will be extended from a single airline or journey to a vast network of airlines. That is truly unique and demonstrates the benefits digital identity can bring to the passenger.”
Jeffrey Goh, CEO, Star Alliance reiterated Dalibard’s message, saying, “This agreement is instrumental in bringing further scale to our biometrics service, with the inherent benefits of speed and meeting customer expectations for a more touchless and hygienically safer experience across all of our member airlines. Biometrics is a key element of that experience and our strategy of leading the way in digitalising the passenger journey.”
