International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director-General Giovanni Bisignani has said airline and airport security is an "uncoordinated mess" that has cost the industry US$30bn – mainly in IT costs.
Speaking at the Airline IT Society's annual IT summit, in Belgium, Bisignani said the numerous security restrictions imposed by governments in the wake of the September 11 attacks have resulted in huge time and monetary cost to the industry.
He said passengers suffer a maze of duplication, bureaucracy and hassle while snaking, slow-moving queues at airport security checkpoints have undone all the advantages of self-service, effectively moving the wait from the check-in counter to the checkpoint, ITWeb reports.
Bisignani said advanced passenger information (API) modifications are a huge financial burden.
"It costs $50 000 for each data element changed in an API message. In total, API costs the industry over $100m every year," Bisignani said.
He said IATA is serious about security and wants to send a clear message to governments “to focus on risk management, use available technology effectively, take better advantage of intelligence, harmonise global standards and take responsibility for the bill".
By Elizabeth Clifford-Marsh
