SubscribeCurrent developments in baggage and passenger screening at airports are discussed by Bill Todd of ALSTEC.
Statistics show that air travel is becoming ever more popular. Although there is always an element of risk attached to inferring the future from the past, it seems safe to predict that - in the absence of measures (or events) restricting demand - many airports will have to accommodate dramatically rising passenger numbers over the next decade. Consequently, they will all need to decide how the convenience of customers can be best reconciled with the requirements of security.
Effective airport security is multi-layered, having at its heart baggage and passenger screening, but also encompassing access control, general surveillance, and perimeter protection - via fencing, alarms and patrols. The other side of the same coin is the proper vetting, training, supervision and remuneration of employees, plus appropriate liaison with law enforcement authorities.
Suitable technology for the meticulous screening of baggage already exists: a detailed, three dimensional image of the contents of a bag can be generated by computer tomography equipment. At present, however, these machines are expensive and have a slow throughput on their maximum sensitivity setting. Both their cost and the time they require to undertake high definition scans are very likely to decrease.
Hybrid machines are a recent innovation. For instance, tomography is being augmented by X-ray diffraction. Suspicious items are located by the former and have their chemical composition determined by the latter.
Existing systems for monitoring the movement of bags from the check-ins to the departure chutes or carousel are being enhanced. At some terminals, personnel now use bar code readers to scan the labels of bags as they are placed in ULDs or carts - automatically linking them to individual passengers around the time they board. This ensures that unaccompanied bags are not loaded. It also allows a final check that all the passengers' bags are present before the aircraft departs, and provides information on their approximate positions within the hold.
Doubtless, the procedures followed at many remote check-in facilities will have been reconsidered over the last few years. It is crucial to prevent unauthorized access to any bags deposited at these satellite locations. As an example of good practice, check-ins and baggage handling equipment installed by ALSTEC are in operation at two stations on the railway serving Chek Lap Kok Airport near Hong Kong.
At each one, incoming bags are transferred to a packing area by conveyor. Here, their bar codes are scanned before they are placed in special containers which are then locked, sealed, and taken to the airport in a dedicated baggage car coupled to each train. Whether this level of integrity can be matched at remote check-ins in hotels or at on-shore loading points for cruise ships is a key issue.
In contrast with the steady incremental improvement of baggage screening, passenger screening is on the verge of a revolution. Two developments have the potential to automate much of the process: machine-readable travel documents and biometric identification. The latter involves the recognition of individuals by verifying their iris pattern, fingerprints, or palm print. (All are unique to each person.) An iris checking system has already replaced manual passport control for many frequent fliers at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. In time, registered passengers should benefit from fast-track check-in around the globe.
Because biometric identification requires a central database, it is likely to attract criticism on the grounds of civil liberties. Once an international system is adopted, there is clearly a chance that some airports will view passengers who refuse to sign up for personal reasons as inherently suspicious, discriminating against them as a consequence. (In addition, iris recognition is the perfect basis for producing a national identity card system - something unwanted by many in the UK.)
There is another reason why issues of personal privacy will have to be considered by airports as scanning methods continue to improve: an experimental screening machine at Orlando caused complaints from passengers because its monitors displayed them as if they were naked as they passed through!
The bottom line (no pun intended) is that although inconvenience is tolerated for a period if it is perceived as necessary for safety, in the long run baggage and passenger screening systems are needed which meet security considerations without being too obtrusive or causing lengthy delays.
Although such systems are becoming more sophisticated, and in many cases are being linked to wider communications networks, their integrity still ultimately depends on two factors: i) the expertise and vigilance of personnel, and ii) the prevention of unauthorized usage (whether via a workstation or the Internet). To ensure the second, biometric identification is likely to replace the password as the standard means of access.
Around 67 million bags per year already pass through 100% HBS (hold baggage screening) systems designed and implemented by ALSTEC. Their basic operational principle is to subject every incoming bag, according to the risk it presents, to between one and four increasingly thorough screening procedures, at least the first of which is fully automated.
The types and optimum numbers of scanning machines employed, along with their associated conveyor lines, are specified in accordance with individual airport preferences and the prevailing national legislation. Some installations operate in conjunction with computer assisted passenger screening.
ALSTEC is a systems integrator: it provides solutions, rather than simply equipment. Its dynamic philosophy of working in partnership with customers is built on solid engineering and technological foundations.
For further information on 100% HBS systems, contact ALSTEC Ltd., Cambridge Road, Whetstone, Leicester LE8 6LH, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 116 201 5057. Fax: +44 (0) 116 284 3851. Web site: www.alstec.com Email: airport.sales@alstec.com
