Two US air carriers, Delta and JetBlue, recently began passenger trials in biometric identification, a technology that verifies a person’s identity through fingerprints, facial features or other physical characteristics. In early June, JetBlue, teaming up with US Customs and Border Protection, introduced optional self-boarding on flights from Logan International Airport in Boston to Beatrix International Airport in Aruba. The process requires no boarding pass and takes about three seconds, said Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue’s executive VP for customer experience. Fliers who choose to try it out step up to a camera at the boarding gate for a quick photo. This image is matched with passport, visa or immigration photos in the Customs and Border Protection database, and once flight details and identity are confirmed, a check mark appears on the camera and fliers can board the plane. So far, more than 90 percent of passengers are using this self-boarding process, Geraghty said, and if the trial is successful, the airline plans to expand biometric identification to more flights. “The technology is revolutionary because your face becomes your passport and travel document,” she said. These boarding processes, however, are not a replacement for the security screening done by the TSA.<br/>
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Asian shipments of jet fuel to Europe are soaring this month as summer holiday travel picks up and freight costs decline. Cargoes of petroleum products bound for Europe from South Korea, Singapore and China are set to rise to at least 450,000 tons in July, vessel-tracking data show. That’s the highest level since Bloomberg started tracking the shipments in November. All of the cargoes for this month are jet fuel. “As holiday demand is picking up, Europe needs more supplies,” said Ehsan Ul-Haq, an analyst at Resource Economist. Because the season runs until early September, “airlines have to stock up on the aviation fuel now.” The surge in jet fuel shipments illustrates the change in oil flows during the summer months, when Asian refiners typically export the most jet fuel to help feed seasonal growth in world travel. A drop in shipping rates in recent months has made trade on the route from the Far East to Europe increasingly profitable, also known as opening the arbitrage. Freight rates for Aframax-class tankers, which frequently haul as much as 90,000 tons of oil on the route, have declined to between $1.3m and $1.4m per trip, according to tanker fixture reports compiled by Bloomberg. Two months ago, those rates were around $1.5m per voyage.<br/>
Runway potholes forced the Philippines' main airport to divert several flights on Thursday, officials said, in the third such disruption at the facility in the past year. Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) operations chief Octavio Lina said the two potholes, both about 30 centimetres wide, were discovered in the morning, making landings by large aircraft too dangerous. "Even if the holes are small, the plane could land on its belly if the main landing gear hits them," he told a news conference, adding the runway defect could lead to plane damage. "We cannnot take that chance. It would be risky and safety would be involved." Smaller aircraft were allowed to land on the airport's shorter, alternate runway mainly used for domestic flights during a three-hour period when the larger airstrip was sealed, he added. Ten international flights bound for Manila were temporarily diverted to other airports as new asphalt was laid, airport records show. The diversions also delayed numerous other flights, the authorities added.<br/>The incident was the third time in the past year that the runway was closed due to damage, officials said.<br/>
French public-sector lender Caisse des Depots will consider buying a stake in the Aeroports de Paris (ADP) if the state reduces its stake in the airport operator, CDC head Pierre-Rene Lemas said Saturday. The French government has said that it will begin reducing its corporate holdings in the coming months to finance a new fund for investments in innovation. While it has not said which stakes will be put on the block, industry sources told Reuters last month that the government would likely start its privatisation programme with ADP, in which the state holds a 50.6% stake. “If it’s put up for sale, I’ll have a look at it with interest. It depends on the return on investment, we can’t do it at a loss,” CDC’s Lemas said. ADP operates France’s two biggest airports, Charles de Gaulle in the north of the capital, and Orly in the south.<br/>
Hong Kong’s airport, already running at near capacity, is squeezing in more than 7,000 extra flights a year, with the aim of expanding the number to 18,000 within three years, the Post has learned. Starting from March, Hong Kong International Airport has been adding 20 take-offs or landings to the current 1,150 per day. That number will be raised over the next couple of years to meet a target of 1,200 flights per day by 2020, or 50 extra flights per day. The move by the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) is expected to benefit Cathay Pacific Airways as it seeks to add new routes. The CAD can now approve more flights, at a time when the airport’s two runways are currently operating at 98.2% of their annual capacity of 420,000 flights. Both the CAD and the airport operator confirmed they were studying ways to “marginally” enhance the capacity of the two runways by using slots more efficiently and looking for more off-peak slots, including early mornings and late nights. Aviation officials have repeatedly warned that Hong Kong’s airport is too busy, and drastic measures are needed. One option they are looking at is diverting business jets and freighter planes to land at nearby Zhuhai Airport. According to aviation consultancy Flight Global, Hong Kong will see a net increase of 1,600 new long-haul flights this year. Among the new routes, Cathay Pacific has added flights to Tel Aviv, Barcelona and Christchurch. It also increased flights to destinations in North America. Hong Kong Airlines is making its biggest foray into intercontinental travel with new flights to Vancouver and Los Angeles, and extra flights to Auckland. In the regional short-haul market Cathay Dragon and HK Express are also making expansion pushes, particularly into Japan.<br/>
Airline passengers who use mobile phones or self-service kiosks to handle simple tasks at airports, such as checking in for flights or dropping off checked luggage, are happier than customers who prefer face-to-face interactions, according to a new survey from SITA, a company that provides technology solutions to carriers. Self-service options are almost always faster for travellers, and in some cases, passengers using mobile apps may access information easier than airport employees. “Passengers are not just carrying their devices — they are happy to use them throughout the journey,” SITA said in its report. Amazingly, however, a significant number of passengers still rely on airline employees for help at airports, SITA’s survey found. Nearly half of passengers said they usually check-in face-to-face with airline employees in an airport lobby, with 28% using the Web, 15% preferring a kiosk, and 5% using a mobile phone app. Meanwhile, more than four in five customers still speak to an agent to check bags, even though many airlines have self-service bag drops. In its annual survey, SITA asked questions about air travel to more than 7,000 passengers flying full-service and low-cost airlines from 17 countries in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. To participate, a traveller had to fly at least once in the past three months. Over time, SITA predicts more customers will prefer self-service, not only for check-in and baggage tagging, but also for other elements, such boarding, and even post-arrival baggage tracking. According to SITA, travellers have the devices they need to handle most tasks themselves, with 98% carrying at least one mobile device, and 70% carrying two.<br/>