| Top News Airlines |
Date posted: May 06, 2003 |
Virgin Atlantic Tests New Screening System
Virgin Atlantic Airways has confirmed it will trial new pre-entry screening system
by LISA MATTE VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS CONFIRMED THAT IT HAS BEEN CHOSEN AS THE LONG HAUL AIRLINE TO TRIAL A NEW PRE-ENTRY SCREENING SYSTEM TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL IMMIGRATION AND SCEURITY RISKS BEFORE TRAVEL AT LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT AND MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. The technology consists of a document reader that instantly checks passports and other documents against online law enforcement databases. It can detect expired travel documents and certain irregularities within the documents themselves, which may suggest forgery or counterfeiting.
The Virgin Atlantic trial began at London Heathrow on April 28 and will commence at Miami International Airport in mid May. It will last for three months. The system works by scanning passengers' passports with a computerized document reader, which will either authenticate the travel document or alert the airline to possible forgery or tampering. The document reader also links to law enforcement and immigration databases to cross check against their records. Any matches against the database are dealt with by the law enforcement agency concerned.
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