Biometric airport security flies high with passengers

The use of biometrics to speed passage through airport security is gaining popular support.

Asked whether they'd be happy to go through biometric security checks in airports, nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of respondents to a silicon.com reader poll said they would.

silicon.com's A to Z of Biometrics

Click on the links below to find out everything you'll need to know about biometric security.

A is for Accuracy
B is for Behavioural biometric
C is for Cash machine
D is for Database
E is for Ear
F is for Facial recognition
G is for Gummi bears
H is for Hand geometry
I is for Iris
J is for Juan Vucetich
K is for Keystroke dynamics
L is for Liveness testing
M is for Mobile phones
N is for Network security
O is for Oxford
P is for Palm
Q is for Queues
R is for Registration
S is for Signature verification
T is for Twins
U is for Universality
V is for Voice verification
W is for Walk
X is for X-ray
Y is for Young
Z is for Zurich Airport

The UK's airports have been rolling out biometric checks at their gates recently as part of Project Iris - Iris Recognition Immigration System - which uses iris-scanning technology to identify frequent travellers and speed up immigration checks for them.

Travellers who sign up to the scheme can walk up to an automated barrier, look into a camera and, if the system recognises then, enter the UK.

Iris was launched at London's Heathrow in March 2006 and the system is operational at Birmingham Terminal 1, Gatwick's North and South terminals, Heathrow terminals 1 to 4 and Manchester Terminals 1 and 2.

The eye-scanning scheme received a mixed response from silicon.com readers. Commenting on the Gatwick installation, one reader said: "I wish this system was installed at Stansted and am pleased to see it is now at Gatwick." While another claimed Heathrow's Iris system has become far slower than standing in line to see an immigration officer.

Iris scanning isn't the only UK airport biometric tech to get off the ground. After a recent four-month trial of a passenger screening technology called miSense at Heathrow, 81 per cent of respondents rated the service "good" or "excellent" and 87 per cent said the enrolment process was easy.

But some sided with the 37 per cent of the silicon.com poll respondents who were unhappy with the biometric airport checks. In response to the miSense survey, one silicon.com reader said: "This is a security theatre, not a real improvement in security. The entire scheme is a misconceived waste of time and money."

The basic miSense security screening requires travellers to scan their passport and right index finger at self-service check-in kiosk before getting a boarding card. See photos of miSense here.