The KL International Airport, last week, piloted the Single Token Journey concept. Passengers flying from Malaysian to Japan were the first to experience the technology.
The single token journey concept utilises facial recognition technology providing passengers with one single identification verification that will take them through the entire airport touchpoints from check-in to the boarding gate.
The move is part of the Airports 4.0 initiative which is working to transform KUL into a smart airport through the use of big data analytics (BDA).
The concept is being piloted for a period of three months in collaboration with Malaysia Airlines and SITA, the world-leading air transport specialist in communications and information technology.
During this period, passengers on two daily Malaysia Airlines flights to Narita International Airport, Tokyo and Kansai International Airport, Osaka will get to experience this new concept.
Facial recognition scanners have been placed at check-in counters H5 to H8, and e-gates have been placed at the security screening touchpoints and at the boarding gates.
Passengers on these flights will only need to scan their faces to verify their ‘token’ at all the touchpoints. After this, they will not need to present their passports or boarding passes when going through these checkpoints during their journey.
According to the acting group chief executive officer (AGCEO) of Malaysia Airports, the single token journey concept is a testament of the organisation’s continuous commitment to improving services at the airports.
He noted that the main focus in moving forward is to strengthen Malaysia’s position as an aviation hub. This is done by ensuring that services at Malaysian airports are of the same standard as those of other mega hubs around the world.
Harnessing technology for this purpose is one way that the airports can simplify airport processes for flyers. This initiative is especially timely in view of Visit Malaysia 2020. It is expected to have a successful pilot so that the initiative can be implemented in totality at KUL.
Malaysia Aviation Group chief executive officer (CEO) stated that the single- token journey concept is a collaboration with Malaysia Airports, which will allow passengers to enjoy reduced check-in time and identity verification within seconds.
As this is the trial period, the group will make this option available first to passengers flying into Tokyo and Osaka to gather feedback and monitor their acceptance rate.
The single-token will also help manage the queue at check-in counters, especially during peak periods, and it is hoped that the system will be to fully adopted by quarter four of 2020.
The President of the Asia Pacific branch of SITA stated that the firm is delighted to be a partner of Malaysia Airports for its Airports 4.0 digital transformation initiative.
Through the company’s Smart PathTM, passengers’ faces become their boarding passes and passports, eliminating the need for passengers to provide travel documents repeatedly throughout the airport.
The company looks forward to working with Malaysia Airports and Malaysia Airlines to deliver elevated customer experience through this new biometric technology for ID management.”
The single-token biometric ID approach no longer requires checking of any physical identity at the various multiple checkpoints because all data have been disseminated to all relevant parties such as the airlines, immigration and customs.