Air New Zealand, the national carrier of New Zealand, has been trialing biometric boarding passes at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). With the busy summer season now around the corner, the airline plans to roll out this new feature to all its other US ports, including San Francisco International Airport and Honolulu International Airport. This move will allow the airline to speed up boarding and improve passenger experience by eliminating long lines at check-in desks and security checkpoints.
Air New Zealand plans to use biometric
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has officially confirmed that it will be the first US port for Air New Zealand, which is set for a bumper summer season.
The first trial of the airline’s new biometric technology at LAX was a success and now Air New Zealand plans to extend their trial to other airports.
With its biggest summer period for three years looming, Air New Zealand is turning to innovative solutions such as biometrics in order to facilitate boarding.
This new technology will allow passengers with pre-registered fingerprints or irises on their passports, who have undergone a quick identity check, to simply walk up to the gate without needing their printed ticket or mobile device.
This streamlined process means more people are able to enjoy our services and we can offer even better value fares by moving people through more quickly, said Air New Zealand General Manager Western USA.
Biometrics, which uses unique physical characteristics as identifiers, replaces cumbersome paper processes while also being safer than traditional ID documents like driver licenses or ID cards.
Fingerprint scanning machines save time by allowing travelers to verify themselves within seconds, saving airport staff valuable time spent checking each person manually against the list of registered travelers.
Biometrics will also speed up processing times for those flying standby so they don’t miss out on their flights. We believe that biometrics is the future of travel – not just for airlines but across all industries, said Neil Rossiter, CEO of Involve Technologies Ltd., which developed the Air New Zealand system.
This pilot programme with Air NZ is one step towards meeting that future demand. We look forward to working together again as innovation continues to drive business transformation.
Los Angeles International Airport provides leading air transportation options to the greater Los Angeles region and worldwide destinations including Europe, Asia and South America.
It operates 24 hours a day and 365 days a year handling 675 arrivals per day, on average; welcoming over 61 million annual passengers.
Los Angeles International Airport welcomes more than 60 million passengers annually, making it an ideal location for testing these innovative solutions.
The airport provides a range of international and domestic flight options as well as cargo transportation from every continent, supporting an export trade volume worth $50 billion last year alone.
It sees nearly 7,000 departures per day and approximately 675 arrivals each day. Los These figures make Los Angeles the fifth busiest commercial passenger gateway in the world! The busy nature of the airport makes it the perfect place to trial new technologies.
Air New Zealand, a company committed to innovating the way people fly, is keen to explore and implement the latest technologies that will simplify and improve the travel experience for customers.
By 2020, there could be more than 500 million connected devices per hour passing through major airports around the world, according to McKinsey. This data shows how important it is for Air New Zealand to keep looking for ways to innovate and develop cutting edge solutions.
New innovations such as biometrics could have significant benefits for passengers and operators alike.
At Los Angeles International Airport, a solution like biometrics would mean faster security queues with less inconvenience for passengers and staff alike! But, will biometrics be a game changer for Air New Zealand? In time, maybe.
The Air New Zealand group revenue in the 2017 financial year amounted to NZD 2.055 billion. If these investments lead to improvements in profit margins and revenue, then it might very well be a game changer for them.
The Air New Zealand trial is set to run until December with plans to use the technology at airports in the U.S, Canada and Australia as part of a broader move by companies such as Facebook, MasterCard and Singapore Airlines who are using biometrics for transactions or boarding flights.
So, will biometric verification become a mainstream procedure for many travel companies? Only time will tell! Los Angeles International Airport is a hub of economic activity and the airport anticipates further growth in both passenger numbers and cargo.
This means that Air New Zealand will continue to be a vital partner for Los Angeles International Airport, with biometrics set to play a key role in the process.
With many passengers heading off on holiday soon, Air New Zealand is predicting record-breaking load factors as millions of travellers get ready to head overseas.
For travelers, it’s important that you prepare ahead of time for any potential disruption in order to enjoy your holiday without interruption.
With today’s technology becoming increasingly advanced, Air New Zealand hopes that advances like biometric verification will continue to help create the best possible travel experience for its customers.
Streamlining Boarding with Biometric Verification
Recently, Air New Zealand was trialing biometric verification at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
They found that the system streamlined the process of getting passengers through security. The trial also led to increased passenger satisfaction.
This is a huge success for Air New Zealand and LAX, with both airports looking forward to new innovations that will make their passenger’s experience even better.
With a busy summer season coming up, Air New Zealand has confirmed that they will be using biometric verification at their other US ports as well.
The airline is expecting a bumper season this year and hopes the changes will help them keep up with demand – leading to more satisfied customers.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has been the only airport in North America testing this technology so far but are confident it will be rolled out across all US Airports.
With over 18 million passengers travelling through LAX each year, there is a strong need to automate processes.
By moving towards more automated processes like biometrics, Los Angeles International Airport could help ease congestion at check-in counters and TSA checkpoints.