1998-09-11 , E/IC-1029/39
Product News From Philips Semiconductors

Around six per cent of delays to international flights each year are caused by passengers arriving late at the departure gate, resulting in financial losses to airline companies and frustration for passengers who have arrived on time. In response to this need, HITAG radio frequency identification technology (RFID) from Philips Semiconductors has been evaluated to find out how such technology could help quickly to identify late passengers in an airport to reduce flight delays.

Automatic identification of passengers could help airport staff immediately to detect passengers who have arrived in the airport, but have not arrived in the departure lounge, or at the departure gate. Instantly identifying late passengers enables airline staff to page people by name and request them to proceed directly to the departure gate to avoid delayed flights.

At the end of last year, British Airways carried out a trial using HITAG, called "Cross Check", at its London Terminal in Victoria and at Gatwick's North Terminal Airport, both in the UK. During the trial, more than 15,000 passengers were issued with RFID cards programmed with their personal flight and boarding information, including flight number and date, check-in time and passenger name.

During the trial, passengers walked by RFID reader-gates placed next to passport control which automatically read each person's card, so that passengers did not have to take the card out of their pocket, or bag, or place it in direct contact with the reader. Once at the departure gate, passengers returned the cards to airline staff for re-use.

Market research carried out by British Airways during the "Cross Check" trial showed a positive response from staff and passengers for a system which will help to avoid delays during their journey.

With the world's air traffic rapidly growing at a rate of more than six per cent each year, employing new technologies to reduce flight delays could well become of value for all major airlines and airports.

HITAG is a long-range radio frequency identification system already used in access control, container identification, animal identification and asset tracking. HITAG cards and tags feature a read/write memory with security functions and operate up to a distance of one metre. The technology is powered entirely by the RF energy transmitted from the reader device, so no battery is needed. HITAG is the first RFID system of its kind to allow simultaneous tracking of several tags and cards.

As well as accurate tracking of passengers, the HITAG technology enables specific information to be securely programmed onto a person's card, such as passport number and baggage allowance. HITAG also provides an anti-collision feature which means the system can simultaneously read several cards at once - a vital requirement given the large volume of passengers passing through the airport at any one time and to overcome the issue of people holding more than one card, such as parents carrying their children's cards.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world and the third largest supplier of discretes in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video, and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by systems labs.