A trial of radio frequency ID tags in boarding cards to track passengers at Manchester Airport could see the technology rolled out across the UK (see related story: “Airlines eye up RFID tagging”).
The small tags were given to 50,000 volunteers and used to track their progress around the airport and through security, with the airport’s head of innovation, Yemmi Agbegi, saying it let them measure the effectiveness of their security and how long people spent airside.
But the Daily Telegraph reports that civil liberty supporters have raised questions about the tags asking if it is an improvement on current techniques and security practices.
At Manchester Airport the tags were attached to boarding cards, and if the technology is adopted passengers who had printed off cards at home would have a tag stuck to them at security control. Developers are also working on sensors that could detect if a tag had been dropped or torn from a boarding card.
Beyond being used for security purposes supporters of the technology say it could be used to find passengers who are late and yet to board, saving airlines from delaying flights.
Radio frequency ID tags have been tested in the past to trace suitcases and bags, in an attempt to save on lost luggage claims, but questions are likely to be raised about using the same technology to track passengers.
