Star Alliance, SITA, NEC Collaborate to Expand Airport Biometric Tech

The Star Alliance has signed an agreement to extend airport biometric processing technologies with airline IT supplier SITA and NEC Corp.

Members of any Star Alliance airline's frequent-flyer program will ultimately be able to access biometric touchpoints at participating airports under the terms of the agreement. SITA's Smart Path technology is already accessible at over 460 airports worldwide, and the addition of NEC to the alliance means they will be able to collaborate on biometric initiatives. NEC, for example, might incorporate its NEC I: Delight platform, which can detect tourists even when they are wearing masks.

"We can scale and expand this solution well beyond our original estimates to several additional collaborating airports and airlines," NEC SVP and chief experience officer Raffie Beroukhim said in a video announcement of the arrangement.