Biometric experience at Perth Airport upgraded through Amadeus partnership

Self-service equipment to deliver ‘seamless’ passenger experience

Perth Airport is offering passengers a ‘seamless experience’ from check-in to boarding through an upgrade to its biometric technology.

A partnership with travel technology firm Amadeus will upgrade biometric capabilities to give the airport Australia’s first fully-automated departure process.

The industry-leading technology has been rolled out as part of a long-term partnership between the airport, in Western Australia, and Amadeus.

Self-service capacity will be expanded with 95 new check-in kiosks, and the replacement of nearly 40 traditional check-in counters with bag drop units.

All touchpoints are equipped with Amadeus’ biometrics capabilities, delivering a ‘simple, smooth and contactless passenger experience’ from check-in to boarding.

Travelers, with selected airlines, will be able to check-in and opt for biometrics at self-service kiosks.

When dropping their bag and boarding the aircraft, passports and boarding passes can remain in passengers’ pockets while a face scan validates the passenger’s identity and retrieves their travel records.

Scott Woodward, chief operating officer at Perth Airport, said: “We know that passengers want their departure experience to be hassle free so by harnessing automation, these upgrades deliver a seamless experience for their journey.

“This provides both our airline partners and travellers with the flexibility they need to ensure a smooth and efficient journey for everyone.

“The passenger experience is paramount and with new automated technologies we can serve more passengers to a higher standard, supporting the growth of our airport.”

Sarah Samuel, senior vice president, airport and airline operations, APAC, at Amadeus, added: “Using platform technology and security measures like tokenisation, airports can create digital representations of a passenger’s data.

“Once that’s achieved, all it takes is a couple of seconds to perform a facial scan to validate the passenger at bag drop or boarding.

“This transformational technology is a game-changer for the industry, helping airports and airlines to serve many more passengers within the same physical terminal space, while vastly simplifying the check-in experience.

“Most airports can’t easily add physical capacity, but technology advances mean we can serve more passengers with existing infrastructure.”

The long-term collaboration between Amadeus and Perth Airport began in 2015 when cloud-based passenger processing systems were first introduced. Biometrics have been trialled since 2022.