Miami Airport shortens queues for Thanksgiving with SITA kiosks

Passengers at Miami International Airport will enjoy shorter queues in passport control this Thanksgiving thanks to new self-service passport control kiosks from air transport IT leader, SITA. The new kiosks can process passengers in less than two minutes, compared to longer waits for a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent during peak travel periods. Maurice Jenkins, Director of Information Systems and Telecommunications, Miami International Airport, said: “Our aim is to provide excellent service to our passengers. During the Thanksgiving holiday period, we are expecting more than 900,000 passengers to pass through MIA. SITA’s kiosks are reducing wait times and making arrival in Miami faster and easier for international passengers.”

All U.S. passport holders and returning Canadian passport holders are eligible to use the new kiosks, which partially automate the inspection process for people entering the United States. The kiosks scan the passenger’s passport, collect flight information and declaration data, take a photo and give the passenger a receipt. Passengers then present their receipt to an agent on the way out.

Paul Houghton, SITA President, Americas, said, “Miami International Airport is one of the first airports in the U.S. to offer self-service kiosks for international passengers. As the global leader in integrated border solutions, SITA is providing kiosks that will streamline the passenger arrival process, while helping border control agents maintain high security levels. Other airports using similar technology have reduced wait times by up to 36 percent.”

SITA is providing the new kiosks in collaboration with Vision-Box, a specialist in automated border control systems and electronic identity solutions. The kiosks incorporate biometric technology, which the airport may deploy at a later stage to further enhance efficiency and security.

The airport has installed 36 kiosks, which are located in the North Terminal, and plans to deploy additional kiosks in 2014.

Over the past 25 years, SITA has worked closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Canadian Border Services Agency to provide the latest border management solutions. SITA offers a broad portfolio of border management solutions, including collecting, storing and risk-assessing passenger data, capturing and processing biometric data and verifying passenger identity.