INNOVATIVE IT
u-Self Check-In Incheon’s main terminal building boasts 53 Common Use Self-Service (CUSS) kiosks, which have reduced check-in time (including queueing time) from an average of 11 minutes 36 seconds to 5 minutes 44 seconds. The kiosks are currently used by seven airlines – Korean Air, Asiana, Cathay Pacific, Northwest, KLM, Delta and United Airlines – and more are expected to come onboard in 2011.
Introduced in 2007, the kiosks feature easy to read 17” touch screens, passport readers, magnetic and barcode readers and boarding pass printers. Around 8% of all passengers use the system today, and in a bid to increase utilisation levels, the airlines deploy a number of staff in the check-in hall who are dedicated to assisting passengers, particularly older travellers and first-time flyers.
u-Departure Gate Introduced in December 2010, the u-Departure Gate is a system that enables passengers who have checked-in online to use their e-boarding pass to access the departure hall.
The high-tech gates, which use machine-readable passport (MRP) technology to confirm passenger identity, mean that users are no longer required to get their e-tickets approved by immigration staff.
u-Immigration Two types of automatic immigration clearance services are currently being trialled at Incheon – one based on the use of fingerprint recognition and the other on face recognition.
anywhere,” enthuses Hyeong-il Kim, deputy director of the u-Airport Team.
“Our priorities are passenger safety, convenience and providing new experiences for visitors, all while adhering to and, if possible, exceeding the highest global ICAO standards.
“In essence, we aim to simplify passenger travel through information and business technologies.”
The pillars of this strategy are u-Self Check-In, u-Departure Gate, u-Immigration, u-Automated Boarding and other services.
The systems utilise cutting-edge biometric technology that theoretically make it possible to complete the immigration process in just 10 to 15 seconds. Around 50,000 frequent flyers are currently taking part in the pilot scheme and have used the technology more than 5.4 million times since its introduction in July 2008. The success of the trial means that the airport is expected to continue it throughout 2011, with the ultimate aim of extending it to all passengers using Incheon. “The ‘u-Immigration’ system has already dramatically shortened arrival processes, eliminated departure cards for Korean nationals, and streamlined procedures for both departing and arriving passengers,” says Kim. “The entire checking process takes about 15 seconds, which is much faster than the 2 minutes and 19 seconds that is usually needed for conventional immigration procedures.”
Fourteen u-Immigration readers are in the departure hall and eight in the arrivals area for use by participants in the scheme that is presently only open to Koreans over the age of 17 and foreign nationals approved by the Korean Immigration Agency.
51
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104