July 5, 2022
Due to the stagnation of tourism and air travel, the global tourism industry lost 320 billion US dollars in the first five months of this year, more than three times the loss during the global economic crisis in 2009. Although there are signs that the global tourism market will gradually pick up, the confidence of travelers remains low. Chen Bin, secretary-general of the China Tourism Association Tourism Commodities and Equipment Branch and leader of the national tourism commodity event expert team, said in an interview with People’s Daily People’s Cultural Tourism that even if the epidemic is over, the epidemic in people’s hearts is still restricting people’s behavior and travel. , Safety considerations for travel must be put first.
According to a recent study by blackbox research, an international independent polling agency, contactless travel is gradually becoming a new benchmark for travellers. Among 10,195 respondents in 17 countries, 76% said they would be more willing to provide A country with a reliable contactless travel experience.
With the new crown pneumonia epidemic sweeping the global aviation industry, the latest forecast report issued by the International Air Transport Association (iata) shows that the global aviation industry will lose 419 billion U.S. dollars due to the epidemic. In 2020, air freight will drop by 63% year-on-year, and air freight will not be restored until 2024. Level before the epidemic. At present, some foreign airlines have announced suspension or closure. When the global air transportation industry is striving to control costs, how to dispel passengers' concerns about travel safety and bring them a good experience, forcing airports in various countries to reassess the current passenger process. JuneYao Airlines Chairman Wang Junjin said that the epidemic has promoted the development of contactless technologies and models throughout the entire process of air travel... Airlines that can embrace new technologies and models more quickly will take the lead in future competition.
Cutting-edge technology enhances the passenger experience, no one can try on or take off in the toilet
Etihad Airways, the second largest airline in the UAE, and Avalon Airport in Australia began to adopt multi-mode contactless technologies after the epidemic, including voice recognition, contactless control, and contactless identity scanning. When the technology is added to the self-service equipment of artificial intelligence, passengers can control the camera on the self-service equipment by moving their heads, without touching the screen as before; when the self-service equipment reads and recognizes identity documents, the passengers only need to be in front of the camera Open the ID card without inserting it into the card slot, which greatly reduces the risk of multiple passengers contacting the same device to spread the virus. It is worth mentioning that the technology can also measure passengers' body temperature, respiration and heart rate, and has a certain early warning and prevention and control effect on the new coronary pneumonia virus and other transmissible diseases.
At Dallas-Fort Worth Airport in the United States, all toilets have been transformed into "contactless" toilets, equipped with hands-free sinks, soap, flush toilets and tissue dispensers. When the supply is insufficient, the corresponding sensors will An alert is issued to the staff that the vacancy needs to be filled. Istanbul Airport in Turkey has adopted the innovative technology of "virtual mirror" in the airport shops. Passengers can "try on" products without wearing them in person. These non-contact innovative services provide passengers with a healthier and safer travel experience.
Biometric recognition technology frees hands, a "face ID card" clears all customs
According to the industry survey led by the biometric technology company vision-box, the world's top airports, airlines and government agencies participated in an industry survey that showed that 63% of industry organizations are using biometric technology to achieve contactless travel at airports. Some insiders also said that now is the main time for the airport to conduct research on biometrics.
Recently, Guangzhou Baiyun Airport launched the "One Face Pass" service. This service comes from the "One ID" project of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It uses passenger's face, iris and other characteristic information as the core, combining passenger identity information and travel information. In combination, passengers can recognize their identity by "swiping their faces" during self-check-in, self-check-in, security, and boarding at the airport. While ensuring safety, this method reduces the number of certificate checks and greatly improves the travel experience of passengers.
Although Baiyun Airport is the first airport in China to officially launch this service, as early as September 2019, Beijing Daxing International Airport installed a face-scanning and boarding integrated machine device launched by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ artificial intelligence startup Cloud Technology. This method is called "innovative service in passenger flow, luggage flow, and information flow." After the outbreak, this undocumented and contactless process based on identity management and biometric identification not only provided passengers with opportunities to simplify their journeys, but also provided guarantees for their safety and restoring their travel confidence. It is reported that Daxing Airport has also recently completed the online test of the "one id full-process facial recognition clearance" service.
In Milan, Italy, which was severely hit by the epidemic and therefore closed the city, Milan Linate Airport has formulated a new strategic plan to improve the passenger experience, began to reduce the demand for infrastructure development and pay more attention to technology. The airport is cooperating with Alitalia to test the face-swiping boarding program on the Milan-Rome route. Different from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, passengers participating in the test can go through the security check and board the plane through face recognition without showing any ID. The process is more seamless. Istanbul Airport in Turkey is also cooperating with airlines and technology companies to use cutting-edge technologies such as big data, biometrics, and the Internet of Things to strengthen the passenger processing system, combining biometric data captured by smart cameras with flight information and identity information to create a unique "Face" ID card.
It is reported that the full biometric terminal used by Delta Air Lines enables 87% of outbound passengers to swipe their faces to board the plane with an average verification speed of 1.5 seconds, which greatly shortens the boarding time, not only avoids queuing, but also improves efficiency. Reduce risks and costs.
In the post-epidemic era, consumption, service, and social methods characterized by "contactless" have become a new trend, and safe and seamless travel has become the focus of the air transport industry. The International Air Transport Association pointed out that biometric technology will become the future of the aviation industry. For passengers, there will be no cumbersome procedures in the future airport. One face recognition can get a seamless travel experience. There is no need to check in at the airport lobby or line up at the boarding gate to check tickets; passengers arrive at the airport, Put down your luggage and board the plane, the whole process will be unimpeded. For airports and airlines, efficiency can be improved by reducing manual inspection time; real-time visibility of the location of passengers at the airport can realize intelligent queuing, which not only helps optimize airport space efficiency, but also helps airlines improve passenger satisfaction. Get greater business opportunities. For government agencies, biometric technology is used in entry and exit control, airport security and other scenarios, and cases are solved through the face comparison system, so that the security of borders and airports can be guaranteed to the greatest extent.
Although the air transport industry is in a very difficult period, the epidemic on the other hand has also prompted those forward-looking airports and airlines to carry out innovative upgrades and transformations, adjust technical strategies to adapt to the future of contactless travel, and improve passengers’ A sense of security and happiness. It is believed that cutting-edge technologies such as contactless technology and biometric technology will promote the "paperless" and "one-face access" process in the entire airport process, restore passenger confidence in traveling, and encourage people to walk into the airport and get on the plane again.
