Practical Travel Safety Issues - Cool Airport Security Technology - LGW

I saw a very cool security procedure in action last night at LGW. As in all airports you show your passport and boarding pass before having yourself and carry-on luggage screened. What I saw for the first time was an electronic record made of the face of the person (me) who was passing through main security. I was directed to look at a small camera, my photo was taken, and a barcoded sticker was attached to the back of my boarding pass!

When I got to just before the gate, the barcode was scanned (obviously an encoding of my photo), my photo popped up on the checker's monitor screen, and I was OK for the gate area (for an internal UK flight).

Is this a pilot procedure at LGW? I flew through LHR just before Christmas and didn't see this snazzy bit of business in operation then.

Would love to hear from any other flyertalkers who have seen this in action!

Sounds like just more revenue protection for the airlines, yet not providing any additional security.

Nothing cool about it. An invasive and silly process which offers no security benefit, but continues the 'theater' aspect of airport security while, as the last poster mentioned, ensures the ticketed pax was the person flying.

I am fairly confident that such a process, if enabled here, would elicit howls of protest from everyone except the worst brand of 'sheeple'.

I guess it depends on what they are doing with the photo in the time between the security screening and the gate boarding. If nothing is being done with it at all, then it is a farce, and nothing more than revenue protection. If however, they are using it against a database of known bad guys, then this may be somewhat effective in capturing bad guys. (this can be either the really bad guys or the guy who is wanted for something less than really bad). I don't know what I really think of it, given the number of cameras floating around these days. Don't really have a privacy arguement here, and this method may reduce the number of false positves that come out of facial recognition. Just my thoughts.

Not cool. :td:

Completely unnecessary procedure that adds nothing to security.

Actually, it's used because in LGW international and domestic passengers mix freely after security.

As you do not need to have photo ID for domestic flights (in the UK), they use the digital photos to make sure that you're the same person getting on the plane who went through security (no need to show photo ID on boarding).

Quite what purpose this serves, no-one ever explained to me... :confused:

When I got to just before the gate, the barcode was scanned (obviously an encoding of my photo), my photo popped up on the checker's monitor screen, and I was OK for the gate area (for an internal UK flight).
Just for clarification, the barcode is not an encoding of your photo. The barcode number is associated with the photo that is stored as a file on their computer. Scanning the barcode is just another way of retrieving the file. Cruise ships do this when you embark/disembark at the ports of call. They just use your room key instead of a barcode.

This smacks of big brother. I would wonder where that information is going! I know when we signed up for TSA our photo went into a database and we were told that it was going to be used in photo recognition software development.

Cool, I don't think so, dumb yes. I've flown through LGW a number of times this previous year and just found it plain annoying. The first time I had it done there was a booth where two agents were scanning the barcodes however one of them went on break and the other decided to lock themselves out of the system. :rolleyes: Meanwhile close to 200 people and growing were coming to this area to board their aircraft coming down moving walkways to find they couldn't get off, people were falling over and it was a REAL mess! After about 15mins of hanging around one of the guys got off the phone and logged back into his system and were getting people through in a trickle motion.

Seems utterly useless to me.

Actually, it's used because in LGW international and domestic passengers mix freely after security.

As you do not need to have photo ID for domestic flights (in the UK), they use the digital photos to make sure that you're the same person getting on the plane who went through security (no need to show photo ID on boarding).

Quite what purpose this serves, no-one ever explained to me... :confused:
The purpose behind it used to be that domestic passengers could mix with people arriving from "dirty" countries. Since LGW has now completed the segregation of arriving international passengers, and the new domestic arrivals baggage belt is also sgregated from departing passengers (in case someone opened up a suitcase and handed over something like scissors to a departing passenger) there seems to be liitle point in keeping the system.

Sounds like just more revenue protection for the airlines, yet not providing any additional security.

except for making the security lines move ever more slower!!!

The purpose behind it used to be that domestic passengers could mix with people arriving from "dirty" countries. Since LGW has now completed the segregation of arriving international passengers, and the new domestic arrivals baggage belt is also sgregated from departing passengers (in case someone opened up a suitcase and handed over something like scissors to a departing passenger) there seems to be liitle point in keeping the system.

I agree with this - I suspect that the system once had real value but although maybe now it doesn't, any perceived security downgrading would be politically unacceptable in the current climate. I use Gatwick all the time and I can't think of a bad scenario that this would prevent.

Having said that, I have never been held up by the system and I think fbgdavidson was rather unlucky in his experience.

The downside for pax is potentially in dom-dom transfers; not that many of them at LGW but you'd not be able to use the lounges without going landside and back in to get photographed.

Having said that, I have never been held up by the system and I think fbgdavidson was rather unlucky in his experience

Admittedly that was only the once, the other times it was fine, other than having to get my photo taken at 5.15am in the morning that is :D

The problem I experienced wouldn't have existed without the system though...;)

Funny that people here would complain about having their photo taken, but cheer the individual that took a picture of the alleged FAM playing a game and posted it for the world to see.

Arriving at LGW yesterday from AMS I realised why they have to do this. If they didn't - given the way things are set up - arriving international pax could bypass immigration.

What you would do is arrive on your international flight having arranged to hold two 'onward' boarding cards: one for an international connection and another for a domestic. Then you would go through international connections (which deposits you back airside) using your international boarding card, and use your domestic one to get on a domestic flight, and never face passport control. The need for a barcode/photo to get to the domestic gate stops you doing this.

When will everyone here realize that what you all want will never happen. Theater, real or memorex.....we all have to live in this age of heightened security.

I don't like it either, but I have accepted it...

Get over it....it is here to stay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Arriving at LGW yesterday from AMS I realised why they have to do this. If they didn't - given the way things are set up - arriving international pax could bypass immigration.

What you would do is arrive on your international flight having arranged to hold two 'onward' boarding cards: one for an international connection and another for a domestic. Then you would go through international connections (which deposits you back airside) using your international boarding card, and use your domestic one to get on a domestic flight, and never face passport control. The need for a barcode/photo to get to the domestic gate stops you doing this.

Sounds correct.

In any event, the "face capture" is useless and often unreliable.

For those pthers who think the dog and pony security show is useful and/or here to stay: no security measures are permanent, for everything has it's lifespan. Also, rigid systems may be routinely subject to workarounds and critical failures. ;)

When will everyone here realize that what you all want will never happen. Theater, real or memorex.....we all have to live in this age of heightened security.

I don't like it either, but I have accepted it...

Get over it....it is here to stay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What is this "accept it" business?

Don't we live in a liberal democracy? A good citizen's first job is to push his government to always do the right thing, not to sit back and allow those in charge free reign to do whatever they want.