Air transport tech firm SITA has inked a deal with crowd management system provider Bluelon to license its iQueue system for tackling passenger congestion at airports.
Under the agreement, Bluelon's bluetooth-led system will be included out as part of SITA's technology packages with airports around the world.
Bluelon's iQueue has already been installed at a number of the world's biggest and busiest airports including London Heathrow and Frankfurt. Working alongside SITA will see it potentially distributed to hundreds more around the world.
The system works by tracking and monitoring passenger flows around airport areas, such as main terminals, duty free zones, baggage collection and immigration lines.
Officials are alerted when certain levels are reached, presumably so that extra staff or desks can be opened to help with congested areas.
Bluelon claims the technology behind the system has been perfected over eight years of research and development, although the algorithm for tracking passenger movements is still patent-pending.
Worth pointing out that the Bluelon iQueue system is not related at all to the iQueue tourist site queue saving system.
The idea behind the technology is clearly to try and help alleviate incidents like this at London Heathrow in February 2007. This was apparently the queue for security screening:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4xba_YFHj8