Flying home this Christmas holiday will be different for Swedish domestic passengers on Scandinavian airline SAS. You will be asked to give your fingerprint for the check-in process. Don’t panic, you (probably) didn’t do anything wrong.
It’s the introduction of a new biometric system which SAS will launch during November and December at almost all airports served by SAS in Sweden. It is hoped to simplify passenger arrivals and departures and improve security.
The new system offers many benefits. You register your fingerprint when handing in your baggage and again at the gate, which then will automatically matched to your checked baggage. In this way you won’t need to show photographic ID. Your fingerprint is the means of identification. After completion of the trip, they assure that your fingerprint will be automatically erased.
SAS is the first airline to meet the new security requirements agreed by the EU in the spring. In the long term, fingerprint reading will take place in connection with all flights within Scandinavia. The technology is expected to affect some 10 million travelers a year.
However, the use of fingerprint ID is an option. Those who feel insecure to expose their fingerprints can still choose to travel with an identity card or passport.
