Thai airports to use machines more, humans less

A self-check-in service that includes luggage loading services, is coming to Thai airports. The Airports of Thailand has decided to bring the service to Suvarnabhumi airport to minimize physical interactions between passengers and staff, thus helping curb the spread of Covid-19.

180 self-check-in machines will be beta tested this month, before taking more permanent residence next month.

Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, the president of AOT, says the program is part of other services that will continually be used in other airports with the AOT’s supervision under the umbrella AOT’s virus containment strategy.

Nitinai says the machines will be connected to a database with relevant flight information, and information from the Immigration Bureau, the Interior Ministry, and various security agencies.

Further, Nitinai’s adds that the program is intended to expedite the preflight ordeal and increase travelers’ confidence in the AOT’s approach to health security.

The machines will be accessible to travelers with no luggage. And if people don’t wish to use the kiosks, they are advised to download the AOT app to check in for their flight ahead of time.

After using a self check in kiosk, travels will have their boarding passes scanned at biometric security stations that are human-free.

The AOT is also hoping to swap out humans in favor of machines when it comes to checking boarding passes while travelers wait to board, Nitinai adds.

The International Air Transport Association wants the government to make more “data-driven decisions” while the country waits to reopen borders to international visitors.

Willie Walsh, Iata’s director-general, insists, vaguely, that data driven solution are at the forefront of reducing Covid-19 infections

Data should drive policies on restarting global travel that manage Covid-19 risks to protect populations, revive livelihoods and boost economies

Willie stresses that the data solution won’t work for “various levels of risk” but says that the financial and social repercussions of all encompassing measures “most governments” have taken are needlessly costly. He did not elaborate on what measures he was referring to.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post