Helsinki-Vantaa to track passengers From parking lot to flight

Helsinki-Vantaa airport will soon be the first airport in the world to track passengers from the parking lot to the time they board their flight, using signals from their cellphones.

Airport officials say this will help them prevent bottlenecks. It will also allow the shops and restaurants at the airport to send them offers.

We’re looking at great paybacks from this investment,” said Heikki Koski, vice president in charge of new services at Finavia, operator of the airport in an interview with Bloomberg News. “We can manage the airport better, we can predict where bottlenecks might come and analyze everything more thoroughly.”

The system will work only when a mobile phone has its Wi-Fi access on, whether a passenger is aware of the tracking system or not. It is meant only to track a passenger’s movement, and not gather any other data about the individual

Privacy advocates, however, are skeptical.

The fact that my movements are tracked is a scarier thought than someone knowing which websites I visit,” said Antti Tikkanen, director of security response at software maker F-Secure Oyj. “I have a hard time believing location tracking is only left at statistics when the same technology makes so many other things possible.”

The tracking system is being provided by Walkbase Oy, based in Espoo. About 150 white boxes will be set up around the airport to pick up the signals from the mobile phones. Passengers can opt in via an application to receive information about flights and businesses. The initial tracking system is already in place.

The next step will be to install the capability to send messages.

Martin Laine

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