Speedier airport check-in

Two years ago, Swissport, a supplier of ground services to airlines with a product line that includes security, began seeking ways to speed up information capture procedures at airports. The information is needed to comply with a U.S. requirement that all non-resident passengers provide a place of residence to American authorities during their stay in this country.

Swissport turned to an English document scanning company, Rochford Thompson, which offered a system to automate address data input that integrates the A2iA FieldReader engine. Now, when checking in, passengers fill out a form developed by Swissport, on which they give their place of residence in the United States. At boarding, that form is placed in a PC-scanner unit, then the FieldReader software locates and recognizes the destination address, based on an American postal directory, A2iA reports in a recent news release.

"We are extremely happy with this API [advanced passenger information] system," says Rico Barandun, Swissport project manager. "By using this innovative cursive handwriting recognition technology in a system that is perfectly adapted to our specific needs, we have been able to meet the requirements of the American government without disrupting traffic or causing flight delays."