RFID implemented passenger-boarding process

At the time of boarding the aircraft, the passenger is validated once again on entry to ensure that he/she is boarding the right flight and no unauthorized personnel or baggage is boarding the plane with the help of the RFID hand-held reader. The "passenger-on-board message is immediately sent to the system. In case of any discrepancy or passengers not checked in alarms are generated and the system starts sending SMS to the passengers that the boarding gate will close in x minutes. The system will also notify the airline personal, as to the last checkpoint the passenger cleared. Enabling the airline employees to physically search of the passenger.

The baggage follows the same procedure and is passed through the conveyor belt. Each tag carries a unique identifier that is read while the bag is transported to conveyor belts to route it to screening machines and then on to the appropriate plane. Also, the weight sensors check the weight of the baggage along the route, if there is any change in weight, the system will place the bag in a temporary holding area and immediately notify the supervisor that the particular bag has been tampered with and at what location the bags weight changed and by how much, and that immediate action is necessary. This prevents things being stolen from the passenger bags as well as making sure that no foreign objects are added to the bags after they have been checked in by the passengers.

At the time of disembarking from the plane, passengers are again validated to check for the presence of any unauthorized passengers who might have traveled or passengers who would have disembarked erroneously on some other port. In case of any discrepancy, alarms are generated.

RFID enabled baggage-loading process		RFID enabled disembarking process

A similar procedure is followed for the baggage again. All baggages are scanned, and any unauthorized baggage if found is immediately
reported.

At the baggage collection area passengers locate their baggage faster and more accurately. RFID readers installed at appropriate locations over the baggage conveyor read the tags on them and this information is displayed on an overhead monitor. The monitors can display the name of the baggage owner through the association created earlier.

Finally as the passenger is exiting the airport, he/she is again validated to check if the passenger is carrying the correct luggage thus ensuring security of the luggage.

Once the passenger exits the airport, the passenger and the baggage RFID tags are deactivated (killed).

The RFID system can provide monitoring and control facilities to ensure that no unauthorized access is possible in high security areas, and personnel have to pass through multiple biometric access points to gain access to those areas. The system can also provide the real-time location of individual passengers, analyze traffic and the behavior of individuals, and observe and record unusual behavior and notify the concerned personnel to take appropriate action.

Benefits
The usage of RFID in airport management can help in tracking baggage in real time, preventing the improper loading of baggage, preventing baggage loss and cross-pickup, minimizing sorting errors by the baggage handling system, minimizing the time needed to match passengers and baggage, improving maintenance and tracking of unclaimed baggage, checking passenger information regarding dangerous baggage in real time, checking passenger information to help identify suspicious people in real time, displaying information about arrived baggage to baggage handlers and passengers, hassle free and error-free movement of all passenger baggage, monitoring movement of all internal employees, monitoring the movement of all tagged assets and monitoring the movement of all vehicles belonging to or working for the airport authority, airlines, etc.

 Effective air transport management requires timely, accurate information. Gathering the information must be convenient, otherwise operators will tend to skip the step and hence data integrity will be compromised. Our past can open doors to our future. Whether we realize it or not, RFID technology will be an integral part of our life.

Homi Limbuwala
VP, Business Development, SkandSoft Technologies
maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in

Page(s)   1  2