HKIA’s Flight Token passenger biometrics technology wins award

Credit: Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) announced that Flight Token, a biometrics technology empowered departure journey at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), is voted by the experts from the aviation industry as the ‘Best Innovation in Airport Passengers Related Processes’ in the Amadeus & ACI World Technology Innovation Awards 2021. Flight Token rolled out after the successful launch of e-Security Gates and e-Boarding Gates in 2018 and 2020 respectively, offering departing passengers with convenience from check-in to boarding.

Vivian Cheung, Executive Director, Airport Operations of AAHK commented: “It is our honour to receive the prestigious award, which recognised our effort in enhancing passengers experience through applying technological innovations to provide passengers with a seamless airport journey. Flight Token not only speeds up the departure process of passengers, but also effectively improves the accuracy of document and identity checking compared to manual check. It also enables minimal people interaction, which is favourable in creating a touchless environment for air travellers given the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Flight Token starts with departing passengers scanning their passports and completing the check-in procedures at the self-serviced, touchless Smart Check-in Kiosks at the departures hall of HKIA. A biometric token containing the passengers’ travel document and boarding pass information will be created at the system. Passengers can then move to the Self-Bag Drop counters, scan their faces through the camera to validate their identities on the token, and proceed with baggage drop-off. After that, passengers can simply scan their faces again at e-Security Gates and e-Boarding Gates without having to show their travel documents and boarding passes again. Flight Token will speed up the whole departure journey and provide a hassle-free experience to passengers since repeated document checks at different check points are no longer needed.

e-Boarding Gates are already available at all departure gates of Terminal 1. AAHK is installing biometric cameras and touchless features at all Self-Bag Drop counters and Smart Check-in Kiosks, as well as conducting trials with airlines for the full implementation of Flight Token at HKIA.