What They Say
Passenger Terminal Today reported that Heathrow Airport has installed infrared ‘contactless touch’ for bag drop so that passengers can check in their baggage without touchng a display. The system works with the finger 3cm above the display and has been installed on Auto Bag Drop (ABD) units provided by ICM Airport Technics, an Amadeus subsidiary.
ICM Airport Technics, which became part of Amadeus in 2019, has supplied more than 270 Auto Bag Drop (ABD) units to Heathrow since 2016 as the sole partner for self-service bag drop, and they are shared by 30 airlines.
Amadeus and Heathrow have been trialling several contactless technologies for self-service over recent months, including ‘screen mirroring’, which allows the passenger to operate an ABD unit with their own mobile device. Following extensive testing, it was decided to move forward with the proximity sensor approach. Upon completion of the proximity sensor trial, all check-in kiosks and ABD units could be upgraded in a matter of weeks.
Amadeus recently delivered an end-to-end contactless solution for Avinor at 17 of its airports in Norway helping to create a completely touchless experience from check-in to boarding.
What We Think
Interesting. I remember the early infrared touch system on the HP150 PC in the mid 1980s. There has been a big push to move beyond infrared, but this shows that there are still applications where it is useful. I do like the idea of using your own device, but the reality is that the software ecosystem for smartphones is extremely complicated. It’s the kind of area where really good standardisation would pay huge dividends. (BR)
Amadeus published this passenger survey that supports the idea of contactless interactions
