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Articles Tagged ‘Airport Security’

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Wave (Portal) of the Future

Monday, December 26th, 2005

TSA logo

USA Today reports on what could be a fantastic new technology: wave portal security. Travelers walk through GE’s new device at San Francisco International with their bags, their keys in their pockets, their shoes on and 20 seconds later, they’re on their way. (“Unless some potential threat is identified,” spokesman Steve Hill tells USA Today.) The system sounds fantastic, but as usual, details are scarce at this point. But Hill did have one important detail:

“Perhaps the sexiest part is the solution we put together will make the passenger experience less intrusive.”

Right on, Steve. Ain’t nothin’ sexier than airport security!

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Life in the Fast Lane: Flying with Verified Identity Pass

Monday, December 26th, 2005

Steve Brill

Steve Brill’s Verified Identity Pass is back in the press, but we’re not sure exactly why. The system has been in place at Orlando International Airport since July, and Brill hopes to expand it, though only San Jose International Airport has announced any firm plans to introduce Brill’s branded registered traveler system. The current publicity blitz should help: Slate might as well get paid for its coverage. Budget Travel Editor Erik Torkells takes the opposite tack, complaining that a registered traveler program is

yet another case of the baseline service being lowered: The average leisure traveler can no longer reasonably expect the kind of service he used to–unless he pays for it.”

Come now, Erik, business travelers have been paying for (and getting free) swag for decades, and you can’t expect broke airlines (and airports) to shell out money they don’t have.

This media blitz might be orchestrated by Brill himself, a former magazine publisher. Despite his past in print, he runs with big shots in multiple industries, and his contacts have surely helped make VIP a robust company. But two issues remain: the cost of Brill’s program ($80 a year) and its universality (it’s only available in Orlando, but Brill says 30-40 airports are lined up to join). We’re waiting to see what happens next.

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