RFID rears its head again

You’re at the airport, browsing the shops, when your mobile beeps - it’s an sms from your airline telling you it’s time to go to your departure gate. Sounds like a nice service? Well, you might think differently, when you learn how the airline plans to offer you this service.

Copenhagen Airport is currently testing an RFID system which allows the airlines to track individual travellers throughout the airport and contact them via their mobiles, if they are not at the gate at boarding time.

Travellers, who agree to participate in the trial, are at check-in given an RFID tag which is paired with the individual traveller’s mobile phone number. The tag regularly sends out a signal which is received by one or more of the 25 antennas located throughout the airport. This enables the airline to locate any passengers who have not turned up at the gate at boarding time, and either send them an sms, give them a call or if the passengers are too far away from the gate offload their luggage and take off without them.

The aim of the system according to Copenhagen Airport is primarily to cut down on delays. But the airport also claims that travellers will experience a much calmer and quiter airport, as the targeted calls will cut down on the tannoy announcements.

In addition, Henrik Bjørner Søe, Marketing Director at Copenhagen Airport A/S, says that the airport in future may also be offering: “[...] a service, to which passengers can subscribe, if they wish to receive information about their destination, such as current weather, restaurants or attractions.”

I wrote about a similar project back in 2006, the OpTag project, which I did not find all that convincing. The OpTag project was mainly aimed at improving airport security, but did also mention the possibility of cutting down on delays.

The OpTag project ended in 2007, but I haven’t been able to find any publicised outcome. The OpTag domain is no longer active and the closest I’ve come to a final report, is a brief overview.

I still don’t see the point and have very strong objections to RFID tracking, not to mention suspiscions about the real aim of RFID tracking. In the case of Copenhagen Airport I suspect the trial has a lot more to do with the “extra services” which they potentially could charge travellers for, or indeed advertisers. The suggested information about restaurants at your travel destination, for example, is an ideal advertising opportunity, which could be quite an earner for the airport.

At least for now the system is optional for passengers, but like I said back in 2006, you’re not radio-tagging me!

External Link:
Copenhagen Airport’s RFID trial announcement (in Danish).

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