Cincinnati Airport Security Searches Your Smartphone Data To Trim Queue Times

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), sometimes called the Greater Cincinnati Airport, is a public international airport located in Hebron, Kentucky, in the US.

It offers non-stop service to 58 destinations with 192 daily departures. CVG has been rated the Best Regional Airport in North America four straight years by SkyTrax, an independent, London-based air transport research organisation.

Collecting your data

Serving so many passengers on a regular basis, CVG was keen to use technology to help make the airport experience a simpler and happier one for customers. To help with this, the airport has been using the BlipTrack Analysis Platform and sensors to collect non-personal data from passenger’s mobile phones and tablets to monitor queue and wait times at the airport’s security process area.

In summer 2014, CVG, in cooperation with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), became the first airport in the US to utilise the Danish-made technology from Blip Systems to understand and improve the traveler’s experience and to better plan and allocate mutual resources. The solution, implemented by BLIP Systems´ airport partner Lockheed Martin, has also allowed the airport to display TSA pre-check queue wait times on information screens and the airport’s website, helping the traveler by reducing frustration and enjoying a more stress-free and pleasant transit experience.

Candace McGraw, CEO at CVG, said: “Our use of BLIP Systems’ technology has proven quite successful. BlipTrack has enabled CVG to continue our close collaboration with TSA to ensure that the passenger experience at CVG is one that enhances the journey experience not detracts from it. Our significant investments in our facilities and BlipTrack ensures we use them as effectively and efficiently as possible.

“Our customers have come to appreciate the quick accessibility to real-time information via our monitors and website, seeing that queue times are consistently well managed. Behind the scenes oversight of dashboard applications and established key performance indicators confirm a high-performance and easing of wait times in queues.”

CVG initially partnered with Purdue University in 2011 for technology proof-of-concept testing prior to research and acquisition of BlipTrack. The Purdue team returned in 2014 to quantify the security wait time improvements in the reconfigured terminal and the impact of the new pre-check lanes:

– In comparison to standard wait times in 2011, wait times were reduced by nearly 4 and a half minutes in 2014.

– In comparison to standard screening wait times, TSA pre-check saved more than 26,000 person hours in wait time over November/December 2014.

Peter Knudsen, CEO at BLIP Systems, said: “As air travel is continually on the rise and airports often have limited space to expand, the pressure on border authorities to balance security with a good passenger experience grows. This leads to significant bottlenecks, with delays that frustrate travelers. Being able to utilise performance data, enables a dynamic management of resources, reduces costs for all operational stakeholders, optimizes passenger satisfaction and ensures a first-class airport image.”

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