TSA considers biometric ACIS program but airports are not convinced

by Zack Martin, Editor

The Transportation Security Administration wants airports across the country to use and issue an interoperable credential. If a flight attendant at Chicago O’Hare International Airport was on a crew flying in and out of Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport the ID card and information stored on it would be able to be read at both locations while the attendant only had to register at one location.

The vetting process would also be standardized for all airports, said Chris Runde, with the Transportation Threat Assessment and Credentialing Office at the TSA. Runde gave a presentation on the proposed new Airport Credential Interoperability Specification (ACIS) at the Interagency Advisory Board meeting in Washington earlier in June.

But airports have yet to get on board with the idea of a standard ID. The American Association of Airport Executives has created the Biometric Airport Security Identification Consortium. The purpose of this group is to work with the TSA on biometric access control in airports. When the AAAE announced this group though, the organization also made it clear that they weren’t in favor of an interoperable credential.