Singapore airport tests combined check-in and immigration system
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Singapore&#39;s Changi Airport is testing a combined airline check-in and immigration system in what aviation authorities in the city-state said is a world first that will save passengers time and hassle.
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Two pillars of Swiss nationhood are being tested Sunday &#151; citizenship and the post office.
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Foreign visitors at the 50 busiest land border crossings in 10 states are now being fingerprinted as part of the government's new biometric screening system, the Homeland Security Department announced on Monday.
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Foreign nationals gather around the check-in section of the airport in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Wednesday, Nov.
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The U.S. government will launch a  test program to see if a wireless system like those used at  highway toll booths can be help speed up registering foreign  travelers at U.S. borders, officials said on Tuesday.
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The Transportation Security Administration is slightly altering the way airport screeners conduct patdown searches by allowing passengers to put their arms down after their upper bodies are checked.
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A Singapore Airlines flight which wasdiverted Monday to Britain&#39;s Manchester Airport following a bomb scare resumed its journey to New York three hours later after being given the all clear.
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The Transportation Safety Administration has created a blog to allow air passengers to ask questions and provide feedback about the airport screening process.
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US-bound air passengers may have to board their planes an hour before takeoff to allow for more rigorous security checks, according to proposals outlined yesterday by a senior US official.
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(InfoWorld) - Citibank Singapore is offering a new way for credit-card holders to make payments -- using their fingerprints instead of credit cards. Citibank this month began rolling out biometric payment systems in Singapore that allow Citibank Clear Platinum credit card holders to pay using their fingerprints. "It's an investment for our future," said Anand Cavale, vice president and business director of credit payment products at Citibank Singapore, noting this is the first time the bank has used a biometric payment system anywhere in the world. Before putting the biometric system into operation, Citibank officials took a long hard look at whether the system was secure -- and came away satisfied that it was, Cavale said. "We see this as the next step, which will enhance our already good fraud prevention systems," he said. With an affluent, tech-savvy population of 4.5 million, Singapore is among the most competitive for credit-card issuers, with many Singaporeans carrying three or four cards in their wallets. To encourage card holders to spend, banks regularly team up with partners to offer special discounts -- say, 10 percent off dinner at a trendy restaurant -- if customers use a certain credit card. So much competition leaves banks looking for any edge they can find. For its part, Citibank hopes the biometric technology makes payment more convenient for its card holders, eliminating the need for them to always carry credit cards while still allowing them to buy things. But don't expect to see biometrics replace Citibank cards any time soon. "The technology will be used in conjunction with a credit card," Cavale said. Cavale believes biometric payments systems will shine in applications where a quick payment method is needed. "If you're running to catch a train, and buying a cup of coffee and a newspaper, your time has more value," he said. So far, Citibank's biometric payment systems are only in place at a handful of outlets in Singapore, including local coffee shops and the popular Zouk night club. But the bank has plans to quickly expand the number of such systems and the number of Citibank card holders able to use them. "Our intention is to roll it out very quickly to other cards," Cavale said. Citibank chose to start the rollout of the biometric payment system with the Clear Platinum card because it is targeted at younger Singaporeans, ranging in age from 25 to 34. "We launched with this segment because the uptake is going to be very strong," he said. Getting signed up to use the biometric payment system, provided by Pay By Touch, of San Francisco, is relatively easy. Citibank has installed kiosks at several Singapore branches where card holders can register their fingerprints. To sign up, Citibank customers need to provide valid photo identification and a seven-digit numeric passcode used with the fingerprint to authenticate payment. This is the first time that Citibank has tested a biometric payment system, and the bank's operations in other countries, especially in Asia, are watching what happens in Singapore with interest, Cavale said. "Our plans include taking this technology around the region," he said.
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Visitors could face digital fingerprinting at airports under plans to beef up border security
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Low-cost airline easyJet hopes to roll out self-service check-in kiosks at airports across Europe if a test of the time-saving method is a success in Geneva, its busiest winter destination, a top official said.
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The U.K.&#39;s busiest airport is starting to affix radio chips to the luggage of passengers as part of an experiment aimed at reducing lost bags.The six-month trial will involve tagging around 50,000 bags a month with RFID (radio frequency identification tags) for passengers traveling or transferring on Emirates Airline between Dubai and Heathrow, said BAA, the company that runs the airport.Barcode tags are currently used, but the barcodes can be misread by scanners, especially if the tags are wet or creased. Those problems increase costs for BAA and the airlines, as well aggravating passengers with slower baggage handling.The RFID tags, which will be attached by staff at nine specially-equipped Emirates check-in desks, will be encoded the passenger&#39;s name and route. Higher-capacity chips could contain more data but won&#39;t be used for this trial, BAA said. Barcodes will still be used with the RFID tags.The RFID chips can be read by scanning equipment from a short distance away as the luggage passes through Heathrow&#39;s baggage system. Once at their destination, some passengers will receive a text message on their mobile phone informing of the baggage reclaim belt, BAA said.
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The federal transportation Security Administration has changed an airport screening practice in place in some airports based on feedback to its week-old blog site soliciting feedback from travelers.
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The Transportation Security Administration announced on Tuesday that it will order domestic airlines to turn over personal information about passengers to test a system that will compare their names to those on terrorist watch lists.
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The test program that allows pre-screened travelers to zip through airport security is being extended. The Registered Traveler Program had been scheduled to run for 90 days at each of five big airports.
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A system which allows air passengers to sign up for biometric scanning to speed up their journeys is being unveiled at London's Heathrow Airport.