Interesting proposal from global aviation body IATA this week after it unveiled what it calls the "Checkpoint of Future" - a hi-tech passenger screening system for airports.
Launched at the World Air Transport Summit in Singapore, IATA has combined technology with a new approach to identifying threat levels posed by passengers and taking steps to establish whether they threaten the safety of an aircraft.
The screening units are three separate tunnels labelled "Stranger", "Normal" and "Known Traveller".
If and when the system is implemented at airports, security staff will select which particular part of the unit each passenger should pass through.
IATA says:
"The determination will be based on a biometric identifier in the passport or other travel document that triggers the results of a risk assessment conducted by government before the passenger arrives at the airport."
If a traveller is "known" (having registered and completed background checks with government authorities), passengers will pass through quickly.
The "normal" screening will be for the majority of travellers, IATA says, with fewer technology-led checks than those in the "stranger" tunnel.
Screening will include retina tests, fingerprinting, body scanning, and metal and liquid detection technology.
IATA says:
"Screening technology is being developed that will allow passengers to walk through the checkpoint without having to remove clothes or unpack their belongings. Moreover, it is envisioned that the security process could be combined with outbound customs and immigration procedures, further streamlining the passenger experience."
The project is at an early phase, but IATA says it is in talks with 19 governments around the world to develop the technology and processes further.
Biometric scanning and the "three-lane concept" is ready now, claims IATA director general and CEO, Giovanni Bisignani, with a prediction that some of the technology will be developed further and become part of major changes to how airports handle security being within two to three years.