SMOOTH OPERATORS

Seamless journeys are on the horizon as industry players put purchasing behaviour and biometric data to practical use, writes Linda Fox

Amadeus has been working on a Digital Traveller ID which recognises travellers and uses biometric data so they do not need to share their information at every stage of a journey.

This is one of a number of initiatives that have come to light in the past couple of years aiming to eliminate some of the friction in a trip, particularly at airports.

Emirates' launch of a “biometric path” for travellers at Dubai International Airport late last year is another example. The carrier began testing a system involving ‘checkpoints’ at key locations such as checkin, lounge entry and aircraft boarding that incorporates a mix of facial- and irisrecognition technology.

One element is its Smart Tunnel immigration, a collaboration with the General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs. The system, which does away with the need for ‘real-life’ immigration officers, gives passengers the green light to go through passport control in under 15 seconds.

The wider technology could also be used to locate passengers who might otherwise miss their flights.

Many travel companies, including Amadeus, are also working with the

World Travel and Tourism

Council on its Seamless

Traveller Journey initiative.

This aims to use biometrics to not only make it easier for travellers to pass through airport controls but also brings in car rental, hotels and other industry segments to help join up the journey.

The Digital Traveller ID is connected to the traveller’s passport so that they remain in control of all their information and choose who to share it with.

The distribution company revealed details of the concept during its recent Amadeus

The Solid Project, which is being led by world wide web inventor Sir Tim Berners-lee, is all about consumers getting back control of their data”

T3CH event in Madrid. Some airline customers will pilot the technology, which could also have the benefit of enabling travel companies to personalise services to travellers who share their information.

These sorts of developments point towards a definite trend in how travellers view and share their personal data.

And, while these initiatives are to do with physical travel, other developments such as the Solid Project are more to do with the virtual side of things. The Solid Project, which is being led by world wide web inventor Sir Tim Berners-lee at the acclaimed Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is all about consumers getting back control of their data.

Berners-lee, who was also at the Amadeus event, talks of storing data in a Personal Online Data store, or POD for short. He paints a picture for the travel industry where all his data, including past purchase behaviour, passport details, food preferences and other likes and dislikes, is stored on a Solid Pod and travellers can give access to it to trusted travel companies.

These companies could then use the information to make much more precise recommendations to wouldbe customers. Applications, both storing and interacting with the data, would be compatible as both would be developed using the Solid platform.

These sorts of developments could fundamentally change how travel is researched and booked and reinstill trust in brands. They will also drastically improve the travel experience itself which can only be a good thing for

corporate travellers.

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