IATA plans common beacon registry to streamline passenger info

To provide flight updates and related information to passengers in a more streamlined manner, the global air transporters grouping IATA is working on developing a central registry of beacons, a proximity sensing solution.
Beacons, generally based on bluetooth technology, are mostly used within the airports to provide information to passengers through their mobile devices. Mostly carriers provide flight and gate information to passengers through this technology.
A senior official from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said it is working with SITA and ACI to develop a common registry of beacons which can be used by all airlines at a particular airport to provide various information to passengers.

SITA is a leading IT solutions provider to the aviation sector and Airports Council International (ACI) is a global trade body of airports.
"Beacons are installed across airports. If we can create a central registry which ACI and SITA are working together on, then it is possible to be used for all the airlines at a given airport. In other words, you don't need to deploy separate beacons for each airline, each ground handling... Obviously that is cost effective," IATA Senior Vice President (Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security) Thomas Windmuller told PTI here.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a recently concluded conference organised by SITA.

Among others, beacons can be used to locate where a passenger is in the airport and send information based on his or her location. "In other words, for example, if it is getting close to boarding time and if the passengers feel there is a long way away from the gate, you can send a reminder that the plane is going to start boarding (process) in five minutes and they can start moving closer," Windmuller said.

In response to a query about use of technologies at Indian airports, he said India would have opportunities to reap benefits from having technologies such as beacons. "I am not of the mind that Indian market is so different from the rest of the world... I think, in particular, there will be opportunities for these kind of benefits to be used simply because of the sheer number of passengers using the major Indian airports," Windmuller said.

SITA's latest Airline IT Trends Survey showed that around 44 per cent carriers are expected to start beacon projects in the next three years with way finding from check-in to gate as the most common service planned through this technology.
Beacons are among the recent addition to proximity sensing solutions such as cellular and wi-fi.