Android users in Maryland are the first in the US to be able to create and store digital versions of their state identity card and driving licence in Google Wallet on their NFC smartphone and use it to verify their identity at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoints at selected airports... More
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published a set of industry standards for a mechanism that will enable international air passengers to pass through all airport processes using only contactless biometric recognition technology by generating verified digital travel credentials and sending them to destination authorities and airlines in advance of travel... More
Passengers travelling on domestic flights from 14 airports in South Korea can now verify their identity with their hand when checking in for their flight if they register biometric data with one of nine Korean banks and financial institutions before they travel... More
Airport hospitality group OTG is adopting Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, enabling passengers shopping at its CIBO Express Gourmet Markets at New York’s Newark and LaGuardia airports to more quickly make last-minute purchases... More
Australian airline Qantas has begun testing a new service that lets passengers pre-enrol at home for its facial recognition-based digital boarding service by using the NFC functionality in their Android mobile phone to capture the photo stored in their passport’s security chip... More
A payments battle is brewing in Hong Kong — Bloomberg — “Alipay’s azure blue logos began appearing two years ago in Hong Kong’s airport, greeting travelers from China who rely on the popular payments app back home. In recent months, taxis got them. Now stores and boutiques have them. They’re all signs of a battle brewing in Hong Kong that will test whether a Western-style financial system — based on banks, credit and debit cards — can fend off a pair of apps that have come to dominate how people spend and send money throughout China. If Ant Financial’s Alipay and Tencent Holdings Ltd’s WeChat Pay can expand into the city and win new customers there, why not in Europe and the US, too?”
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Denver International Airport have begun trialling a biometrics-based checkpoint screening process that allows travellers to use their fingerprint as both a boarding pass and identity document... More
JetBlue to launch first-of-its-kind self-boarding program using facial recognition — JetBlue — “JetBlue today announced it will collaborate with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and SITA to test a new paperless and deviceless self-boarding process as part of ongoing trials to implement a biometric exit process in the future. Customers who opt-in can put away boarding passes and devices – a quick photo match at the gate verifies customers to board.”
Four Belgian banks and three mobile network operators have unveiled a mobile ID platform that will let consumers use a single digital identity to access a range of services such as requesting government documents and confirming online transactions using the SIM card on their mobile phone and a unique five-digit code... More
Some 2,000 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons have been installed across London’s Gatwick Airport to provide an indoor navigation system and an augmented reality wayfinding service so that passengers can be shown directions in the camera view of their mobile device. More
Delta is testing facial recognition technology, plans first biometric-based self-service bag drop in US — Delta — “Delta is introducing four self-service bag drop machines at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport this summer… One machine will be equipped to test facial recognition technology to match customers with their passport photos through identification verification, a first for US carriers.”
Business travellers will soon be able to make in-store purchases at select retailers and restaurants inside three US airports and have their expenses automatically submitted on their behalf through the point-of-sale system so that they “don’t need to worry about creating an expense claim down the line”. More
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has begun a three-month trial of facial recognition technology at one of its boarding gates... More
International travellers arriving at Australian airports may soon be able to pass through immigration and customs using biometric recognition without having to show their passports... More
A facial biometric authentication service for money transfers has been launched by Korea International Trade Association subsidiary Korea Trade Network (KTNET), in collaboration with biometrics provider Daon and the Korea Smart Authentication Corporation... More
Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Qatar has launched an Android version of its mobile app, which uses iBeacon technology to deliver passengers information about special offers at retail outlets, as well as real-time details on flights, baggage claim and location-based services... More
Chinese passengers at Munich Airport will be able to make payments at participating retailers using Alipay from mid-July through a partnership between German payments technology provider Wirecard and airport stores retailer Eurotrade... More
Customers at Pizza Hut locations in Asia will soon be able to place orders, receive offers and complete payments on a tablet held by Pepper, a humanoid robot developed by SoftBank Robotics. The transactions will be completed through MasterCard’s MasterPass digital wallet service. More
German airline Lufthansa is using Bluetooth beacons installed across Munich Airport to push special offers to passengers and enable them to use their mobile phone to book and buy access to its business lounge as well as purchase upgrades from economy class to business class. More
NFC World is pleased to welcome NFC and mobile payments pioneer Proxama as a member of its partner program... More