• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My TechDecisions

  • Best of Tech Decisions
  • Topics
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Mobility
    • Unified Communications
    • IT Infrastructure
    • Network Security
    • Physical Security
    • Facility
    • Compliance
  • RFP Resources
  • Resources
  • Podcasts
  • Project of the Week
  • About Us
    SEARCH
Physical Security

Biometrics: The New “Face” of Airport Security in Amsterdam

Schiphol Airport starts using facial recognition biometrics technology to speed up boarding of passengers.

February 26, 2019 Lisa Montgomery Leave a Comment

biometrics

Boarding passes are a cumbersome form of entry. Fumbling for a paper form of identification while carrying luggage can slow the boarding process, not to mention easily lost or damaged. There’s got to be a better way. Biometrics, specifically facial recognition, holds potential as a faster, more convenient and efficient mode of identification at airports, and some, including Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, and testing the technology.

The End of Paper Boarding Passes?

Passengers traveling with Cathay Pacific can now participate in a trial of facial recognition self-boarding at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. This trial is part of the first phase of Seamless Flow, a program developed by Vision-Box, that intends to make paperless travel possible in the long term.

After checking in, passengers are invited to take part in the trial. Participants are escorted to one of the special registration kiosks. The passport and the boarding pass are scanned, while a high-quality face image is captured, in order to generate the traveler’s single token.

This will allow passengers to self-process through a boarding gate without having to show any documents. At the departure gate, they use a dedicated biometric-enabled eGate, where they simply have to look at a camera that scans their face. The live photo is automatically compared with the scan that was made at the registration process. When the face is identified, the gate opens and the passenger is boarded on the airline system. This only takes a few seconds.

“It’s all about the passenger. The whole idea of Seamless Flow is to modernize the airport landscape to improve the convenience, simplify the processes, propose modern interactions and deliver effective value to passengers. We’re very excited to continue working with our partners in this landmark program, offering Cathay Pacific customers with a pioneering seamless travel platform that will absolutely reshape how we travel,” says Miguel Leitmann, Vision-Box CEO

By making self-boarding available, Schiphol is closer to achieving a completely Seamless Flow, which aims at offering passengers more convenience and a frictionless flow across the airport.

 

Positive Experience for Passengers

“For passengers, the journey from arrival at the airport to boarding becomes easier and more efficient,” says Wilma van Dijk, Schiphol’s safety and security director. “Now you have to show your passport, your boarding card or both at various checkpoints at the airport, for example, when dropping your luggage, at the entrance to the security check, when passing the border and when you go boarding. In the future you can pass these control points more smoothly because you are recognized by your face. You can leave your passport and boarding pass in the bag. ”

 

“Cathay Pacific is always looking for ways to improve the experience of our customers at every stage of their journey with us, and the experience at the airport is an important and integral part of that journey. We are therefore happy to be part of this innovative trial, in order to prepare ourselves and our passengers for the future way of traveling,”  adds Will Kerr-Muir, Cathay Pacific country manager Benelux & France.

In the coming months, scanning of the face, passport and boarding pass will be experienced during registration and boarding. The next phase will add passport control to the trial.

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!

Tagged With: Access Control, Surveillance, Technology

Related Content:

  • Singlewire Software mass notification interview Singlewire Software on Mass Notification Solutions
  • AtlasIED North Syracuse Central School Dist 2 North Syracuse Central School District Streamlines Communications with…
  • cyber-attack-skull Spike in Cyberattacks Exposes Vulnerabilities in University Security…
  • NSA Programming Languages The Cyberattacks and Insider Threats During The Development…

Free downloadable guide you may like:

  • 10 Reasons Why School Administrators Should Consider These Tech Tools for Emergency Preparedness

    Working in an educational facility is more complicated than ever before. There are so many more situations to be aware of, so much more to have to communicate to others. Communication is paramount for the safety of students and staff and to keep daily operations flowing smoothly. Where once a PA system was all that […]

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Downloads

Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces
Practical Design Guide for Office Spaces

Recent Gartner research shows that workers prefer to return to the office for in-person meetings for relevant milestones, as well as for face-to-fa...

New Camera Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow
New Camera System Can Transform Your Live Production Workflow

Sony's HXC-FZ90 studio camera system combines flexibility and exceptional image quality with entry-level pricing.

Creating Great User Experience and Ultimate Flexibility with Clickshare

Working and collaborating in any office environment today should be meaningful, as workers today go to office for very specific reasons. When desig...

View All Downloads

Would you like your latest project featured on TechDecisions as Project of the Week?

Apply Today!

More from Our Sister Publications

Get the latest news about AV integrators and Security installers from our sister publications:

Commercial IntegratorSecurity Sales

AV-iQ

Footer

TechDecisions

  • Home
  • Welcome to TechDecisions
  • Contact Us
  • Comment Guidelines
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin

Free Technology Guides

FREE Downloadable resources from TechDecisions provide timely insight into the issues that IT, A/V, and Security end-users, managers, and decision makers are facing in commercial, corporate, education, institutional, and other vertical markets

View all Guides
TD Project of the Week

Get your latest project featured on TechDecisions Project of the Week. Submit your work once and it will be eligible for all upcoming weeks.

Enter Today!
Emerald Logo
ABOUTCAREERSAUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERSYour Privacy ChoicesTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY

© 2025 Emerald X, LLC. All rights reserved.