Aviation and Airport

New device puts an end to luggage hell
Two Israelis develop an electronic tag which allows passengers “talk” with luggage as it arrives on thebaggage carousel; device can also be used to track kids and family members in a mall
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Expedited screening for flight deck crew members
TSA tests expedited flight crew screening; measure is mandated by 9/11 legislation; TSA will use trial to examine behavior detection methods
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TSA cannot achieve 100% air cargo screening by 2010
Congress has mandated that TSA must screen 50 percent of all cargo on passenger jets by February 2009 and 100 percent by August 2010; TSA says lack of technology makes this goal impossible to achieve
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Sagem Morpho shows TWIC-compliant biometric reader
Card is designed to read encrypted biometric data, such as a digital fingerprint, perform the match to the card holder, and perform an active card authentication across a contactless interface
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BAE adds to its autonomous airship portfolio
New airship, developed by Lindstrand Technologies, can carry payloads such as high-tech surveillance equipment up to 150 kg in weight to heights of more than 6,500 feet
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New plane design meet safety requirements
Delta-winged plane designs are claimed to be capable of carrying more than 1,000 passengers on a single deck with 20 exits and eight aisles; simulation shows they meet safety standards
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Biometrics to be used in fast-tracking trusted travellers through airports
The United States and the United Kingdom agree on using fingerprint, iris, and facial recognition technology to speed up frequent travellers’ journeys through immigration control
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Growing opposition to fingerprinting foreign visitors to U.S.
Legislators support airline industry’s contention that forcing them to fingerprint foreign visitors to the United States would ruin them financially; airlines say that fingerprinting 33 million visitors a year would cost $12 billion over 10 years
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Weight-sensitive aircraft seats
New plane or helicopter seats will rely on active suspension to sense the forces on the seat and change its levels of cushioning; the seat uses a magnetorheological fluid damper
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No need for an ID to board a plane
TSA takes into account the fact that IDs may be lost or misplaced, and has devised a policy which allows for identity verification without IDs
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Logan to use see-through scanners on passengers
Machines using backscatter and millimeter wave technology will scan passengers’ bodies for weapons and contraband — with TSA promising that privacy concerns which greeted the technologies early on have been addressed
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Delta's passengers can pay for faster security check
Delta will offer its passengers the option of paying $128 a year for speedier security lines; Delta has hired Verified Identity Pass to enroll passengers in Registered Traveler and operate the lines
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Plane wings made of glass
Researchers learn more about the atomic structure of glass, offering the possibility of constructing plane wings — and other things — with glass rather than metal, thus avoiding the danger of metal fatigue
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Air passnegers now must show an ID to be allowed on board
Until this past weekend, a passenger who agreed to secondary search of his or her body and baggage at airport check-points was allowed to board even if they did not have — or refused to show — an ID; this policy was changed on Saturday
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Cargo security front and center at coming IATA meeting
The air cargo industry has a compelling business motive to protect its longevity by ensuring it is a fast, reliable, secure means of moving freight globally, and a moral duty to safeguard human life
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