|
|
| Singapore's Changi Airport has introduced the world's first trial of a biometric system that combines check-in and immigration procedures for departing passengers, the authorities said on Thursday. | |
|
|
The so-called Fully Automated Seamless Travel (FAST) system will allow passengers to complete departure formalities in less than two minutes, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said. |
Regular passengers leaving Changi take between eight and 15 Minutes to complete the departure processes of checking in with the airline and going through immigration and police clearances. |
|
| Under the trial scheme, which began on November 1, passengers must first register and get a card that contains a microchip record of their facial details and fingerprints. | |
| When they check in, they swipe the card and their identity is confirmed through a biometric scan of their face and fingerprints. | |
| “The key thing about this system is that it simplifies the process,” CAAS spokesman Albert Tjoeng said during a demonstration of FAST’ “Security is not compromised because the identity is authenticated.” | |
| The trial, which will end in April, will apply to eight regional destinations to which Singapore Airlines flies. Only Singaporeans who are frequent flyers with the carrier have been invited to take part and they can only use the service if they have carry-on luggage. | |
| The eight SIA regional destinations involved in the trial are Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Penang, Bali, Bangkok, Jakarta, Surabaya and Hong Kong. | |
| From : The Naiton,Saturday, November 27,2004 | |