Security line wait times at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) are down by about 33 percent due to the use of a mobile technology solution installed last summer that allows the airport to address long lines as they occur. The BlipTrack system, provided by Danish information technology firm Blip Systems, collects the locations of passengers moving through the security process, via their smartphones and tablets, and calculates wait times based on that data.
Since the system’s installation, the airport has been able to better identify where and when long queues develop at the security area. It now broadcasts wait times to arriving customers, offers real-time security line wait times on its website, and deploys Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents and other airport personnel based on line length. Initial testing conducted at the airport showed that wait times could be reduced by as much as 33 percent compared to pre-BlipTrack waits, based on benchmark measurements.
CVG is the first U.S. airport to launch the mobile phone-based tracking solution from Blip Systems. However, the technology has already been deployed at 22 other airports worldwide.
BlipTrack measures queue dwelling times around the airport, from check-in and baggage claim to taxi queues and customs. It also determines how long it takes for passengers to move from one area to another, says Christian Bugislaus Carstens, Blip Systems’ marketing manager. The technology is being piloted at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, as well as at airports in Phoenix and San Diego.
BlipTrack employs both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios to collect the Media Access Control (MAC) addresses being broadcast by individual phones or tablets carried by passengers. These devices continuously emit their MAC number, unless the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functions are disabled. The system also includes a security feature, Carstens says, to ensure the privacy of those whose phones’ MAC addresses the system is receiving. Each address is anonymous, but once received by a sensor, it is also encrypted before being sent to the secure cloud server. “We are in no way able to collect personal data,” he states.
The BlipTrack sensors are mounted on walls or other infrastructure, and use Power-over-Ethernet to transmit data back to the server. While it is possible to connect with devices over Wi-Fi from up to 50 meters (164 feet) away, Carstens notes, “we usually limit the range to about 10 meters [32.8 feet].”
As a passenger passes a BlipTrack sensor, the phone’s transmission is received and time-stamped, and is then forwarded to the BlipTrack Analysis Platform cloud-based software. The software analyzes and filters the data to determine the length of time that the devices emitting the MAC numbers—and, therefore, the people carrying those devices—spend waiting in line.
Blip Systems, which was founded to provide Bluetooth solutions to Ericsson Denmark, also sells its technology for use at train stations and ports, as well as on roadways.
CVG has a single security checkpoint hall through which passengers pass on their way to flights. “Wait time in security lines is considered one of the biggest drivers for overall customer satisfaction in the airport environment,” says Brian Cobb, CVG’s customer service VP. The shortcoming for solving some of these waits, however, is a lack of insight into when these queues become backed up, and thus how to resolve them in real time, as well as in the scheduling of personnel.
When it comes to security line waits, Cobb adds, not knowing what is going on can cause unnecessary stress for passengers trying to plan their airport arrivals. Therefore, the airport is not only using the system to identify the average wait times at security check-in points, but is also sharing that information on a large screen in the airport’s departure area for passengers who have not yet reached the security lines. Travelers can also access wait-time data on CVG’s website before arriving at the airport. “Providing these visuals to our customers,” Cobb says, “eliminates the guess work for how long security processing will take.”
CVG installed 14 sensors at its single security area, which includes TSA pre-check, premium, wheelchair and employee access lanes.
The software analyzes the collected data, after which a dashboard displays the information for CVG’s management and TSA personnel. In that way, both the TSA and CVG have real-time information enabling them to respond to increasing wait times by, for example, adding employees at that time. The software can also issue alerts to authorized managers based on wait-time thresholds set up by the airport.
Additionally, the system can be used to determine the efficiency of any changes in equipment or queue lanes.
Prior to installing the system last summer, CVG conducted a pilot of the technology with the help of Purdue University. During the pilot, university team members undertook a sampling indicating how much the technology could improve wait times. The study found that wait times were reduced by an average of 4.3 minutes (a one-third improvement over a benchmark measurement performed without the technology in 2011). For those using the TSA pre-check lanes, the wait time was reduced by 6.5 minutes.
CVG is now considering expanding the technology’s use. “There are broad-use implications to this technology,” Cobb reports, “from roadway to runway, in the interest of customer satisfaction.” Although no specific plans for further deployment are yet underway yet, he notes, “Our customer desires an experience where the stress of waiting in line is near non-existent. This implies opportunity at major roadway arteries leading to the airport, parking options, check-in queues, concession offerings and boarding processes.”
At Brussels Airport, in Belgium, sensors have been installed at the facility’s new 32,000-square-meter (344,400-square-foot) Connector building that includes 25 screening lanes and 11 passport control desks for international passengers. The airport also uses the sensors within its security area, as well as at locations for passport and customs screening, baggage claim and taxi queues. The Connector building extension is scheduled to open on Mar. 26. The BlipTrack system enables the airport to provide real-time information regarding queue length to passengers, says Thomas Steken, Brussels Airport’s resources planning manager and a member of the airport’s operations department. The historical data, he explains, offers “analytics about the performance of our fast-lane users, recurrent problem areas [and employee] shift changes in the terminal.”