OREANDA-NEWS. Richmond, B.C. (May 9, 2014): With international travel increasing, airports need new ways to improve the passenger experience and reduce overhead costs to gain a competitive advantage.

To help airports speed up the border inspection process, Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR) pioneered BorderXpress, an Automated Passport Control (APC) system. BorderXpress is a fully-hosted solution that automates the administrative function of the border inspection process to reduce traveller wait times, passenger congestion and airport processing costs. BorderXpress is the number one choice of airports’ APC systems.

Today, YVR announced an upgrade to its BorderXpress kiosks with the latest biometric technology from Cross Match Technologies that enables international travellers with Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) approval to use BorderXpress. Previously only available to U.S. and Canadian passport holders, BorderXpress now accepts eligible travellers from 38 countries which do not require US entry visas, including Australia, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom.

By enabling more travellers to use the kiosks, congestion and wait times are further reduced at airports. With this enhancement, BorderXpress APC kiosks reduce the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspection process by 89 percent while lowering overall airport wait times by 50 percent(1).

“Our goal is, and has always been, to lead the transformation of the travel experience,” said Craig Richmond, President & CEO of Vancouver Airport Authority. “By expanding our Automated Passport Control capabilities to include travellers from visa-waiver countries, we are continuing to help airports modernize for improved efficiency and customer satisfaction.”

The new biometric kiosks offer many benefits to ensure that ESTA-approved travellers can quickly get through the border clearance process, including:

Seamlessly integrated fingerprinting technology makes the kiosks user-friendly
Industry-leading scanner technology reads fingerprints from many angles, while being able to detect fingerprints regardless of wetness or dryness of the finger - often an issue with earlier generation technology
Intuitive and easy-to-use for English and non-English speaking passengers alike: Simple language prompts a user through all necessary steps by indicating finger sequence, placement and pressure, while correcting typical mistakes
As with earlier versions of the BorderXpress kiosks, these new kiosks are ADA-compliant, and can be configured in up to 26 different languages.

The enhanced BorderXpress kiosks are currently available at YVR and Chicago O’Hare International Airport, and as additional airports select BorderXpress Automated Passport Control kiosks the technology will be available more broadly.

"On behalf of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, I want to thank CBP, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and our airline partners for working with us to expand APC technology at our global gateway, O'Hare International Airport,” said Rosemarie S. Andolino, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Aviation. “The expansion of this technology helps create a faster, more streamlined CBP process for everyone who arrives in Chicago. With industry-leading initiatives such as APC and 1-Stop, as well as expected increases in CBP staffing, Chicago is positioned to offer the best, most welcoming travel experience for international passengers arriving to the United States. This is an important step in helping to reach Mayor Emanuel's goal to reach 55 million annual visitors to Chicago by 2020."

The kiosk technology, BorderXpress, is a product of Vancouver Airport Authority. In its first year, BorderXpress kiosks have processed more than 4.4 million U.S. passengers and counting. BorderXpress Automated Passport Control is currently available at 10 airport locations – more than any other provider and with adoption on the rise.

YVR has long been at the forefront of technologies that help speed up, streamline and simplify the passenger travel experience. From pioneering common-use self-service check-in at YVR to championing NEXUS Air, Innovation by YVR is improving the transportation experience, one innovation at a time.

(1) Based on internal testing conducted by Vancouver Airport Authority.