Travelers Willing To Trade Privacy For Security

Nov 1, 2002 12:00 PM

Frequent business flyers are perfectly willing to give up some privacy if it would streamline the airport security process, according to a recent survey conducted by Johnson Controls Inc., Milwaukee.

Three quarters of respondents are willing to undergo a fingerprint scan to speed the process, while two-thirds of respondents are just as willing to submit to iris or facial recognition scans.

The poll of 203 business travelers (who have taken four or more airline trips in the last year) indicates that the typical business traveler's time spent at the airport has doubled since the terrorist attacks. “Many frequent business travelers are more concerned about the amount of time they are spending at the airport,” says Tom Allen, vice president of Johnson Controls Security Systems LLC.

Polled travelers also perceive some security measures as unnecessary. Separate laptop computer inspections, random searches and shoe removal at screening points drew only minimal support.

Of those travelers unwilling to give biometric information, most cited the fact that the technology is not yet completely reliable. “I don't trust what strangers will do with this personal information. I don't have confidence in the level of people that the security companies hire,” one respondent said. (See graphs on facing page)

TAXES & FEES

Taxes and Fees Now Add 26% To the Price of a Ticket, a 141% Increase Over 10 Years*

In 1992 Airlines Paid…		In 2002 Airlines Pay…
	$27.40 Excise Tax		$20.55 Excise Tax
+	$1.38 Fuel Tax		$4.21 Fuel Tax
			$12.00 Segment Fee
	$28.78		$10.00 Security Fee
			$18.00 Passenger Facility Cost
		+	$4.00 Pending Excess Security Cost Fee
		$68.76

*Based on $270 Average Roundtrip Leisure Ticket.

Source: Northwest Airlines CEO Richard H. Anderson, from a presentation at the 2002 FAA Commercial Aviation Forecast Conference, Washington, D.C.

NEW SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES

Biometrics: Passenger Willingness to Comply
(5 pt. scale where 5=Extremely Willing and 1=Not At All Willing)

Extremely/Very Willing		Avg. Rating
Fingerprint, thumbprint or handprint scan	74%	4.0
Iris scan	64%	3.8
Facial recognition	63%	3.8
National ID card with thumbprint	61%	3.7
Source: Johnson Controls online research survey of 203 adults who had taken four or more airline trips in the past year

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© 2012 Penton Media Inc.

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