Biometrics to speed up travel
July 4, 2008
Authorities intend to use Biometric technology with the intention of speeding up travel between the UK and the US. Iris, fingerprints and facial recognition technology are to be used in order to speed up regular travelers’ journey through the immigration control. This is a part of a UK-US agreement for a fast-travel option for regular travellers commuting between the two countries. This agreement is intended to boost business travel. The agreement details were revealed by Liam Byrne - the border and immigration minister.
The government said the deal intends to build on the success of the Iris scheme (Iris recognition immigration system) for trusted travellers. It allows registered passengers to enter the UK without having to queue up at the immigration desk. Only an eye scan is required. By now more than 200,000 people have been enrolled. It has been used more than a million times since its launch in March 2006.
Iris enrolment stations can be found at all the five terminals at Heathrow as well as Birmingham, Gatwick and Manchester airports. The travellers find it very convenient to register at the stations as it saves a lot of time.
