location Dallas, Texas, USA, Date 2021.12.16

Spirit Airlines partners up with Materna IPS to revolutionize DFW with new Self-Bag Drop installation to streamline travel experience. Passengers can now use the latest evolution in check-in technology at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). The newly installed self-bag drop systems in Spirit’s redesigned ticket lobby are equipped with the latest biometric technology to offer passengers a contactless identification process when checking bags.

In cooperation with Spirit Airlines, Materna IPS has self-bag drop installations currently operating at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Chicago O’Hare (ORD). The technology also achieved industry recognition as Best Airport Innovation at the 2022 APEX Awards® earlier this month.

Materna IPS first partnered with Spirit in 2019 to develop the United States’ first biometric matching solution for domestic air travel; combining it with the automated baggage handling systems allowed the airline to reduce face-to-face interaction and offer a smoother, seamless passenger check-in experience. Following a rigorous testing period with biometric authentication, the DFW system will replace the need for a manual ID scan by check-in staff.

During the 1:1 matching at DFW, the camera integrated into the self-bag drop system scans the passenger’s face as well as their driver’s license, or passport, and boarding pass data. The information is then sent to the biometric backend to immediately verify the passenger’s identity and start the bag drop process. Materna IPS’ biometric solution is capable of analyzing key physical features on over 50,000 forms of ID from nearly 200 countries, and also detects fraudulent documents for an extra layer of security.

“We’ve been on a mission to find opportunities to continue improving every facet of the Guest experience, to include investing in automation and self-service to streamline the travel journey so Guests spend less time in lobbies,” said Mike Byrom, Vice President of Airport Services for Spirit Airlines. “Our guests are tech-savvy, and they appreciate options. Also, limiting touchpoints and unnecessary face-to-face interactions is currently changing the way airports operate.”

Currently around 400 - 500 bags are checked in at DFW’s new self-service stations every day. Including the biometric authentication, the entire process only takes up to 70 seconds and in turn reduces the average passenger transaction time by 30 percent.

“Dallas Forth Worth International Airport is committed to identifying and testing innovative solutions that deliver secure, efficient and frictionless customers experiences,” said DFW Airport Vice President of Innovation Jodie Brinkerhoff. “We are excited to support our partner Spirit Airlines as it introduces a self-directed, biometrically enabled check-in and bag drop process – which ultimately provide the customer with greater control and fewer requirements for face-to-face processing and document exchanges.”

“To revolutionize the passenger journey is engrained in Materna’s DNA, it is what we have lived for, for over 40 years,” said Materna IPS Americas President Gary McDonald. “In the past few years, we have seen such an incredible growth in innovative technology. It is an honor to lead from the front and assist every airport across the US in embracing this technology - and biometric self-bag drops are just the beginning of the revolution.”

Self-Bag Drop at Dallas Fort Worth airport

Self-Bag Drop at Dallas Fort Worth airport

More information

Gary McDonald
President, Americas
Materna IPS USA
5323 Millenia Lakes Blvd., Suite 300
Orlando, Florida, USA
Phone: +1 619-724-9280
Email: gary.mcdonald@materna-ips.com

Press contact

Materna IPS GmbH
Vosskuhle 37, 44141 Dortmund
Germany

About Materna IPS USA Corp.

Materna IPS USA Corp. based in Orlando, Florida, as one of the most renowned suppliers for airports and airlines around the world, delivers solutions for automated passenger handling at airports. The company’s range of products and services is comprised of hardware and software implementations as well as service and maintenance. Materna IPS USA is part of Materna IPS GmbH - a 100% subsidiary of the Materna Group - with its headquarters in Germany. The international branches in the USA, Canada, India and the United Kingdom enable Materna IPS to support their customers individually and to react quickly and professionally to market requirements. The Materna Group currently employs more than 2,600 people around the world and generated sales of over a third of a $billion in 2020.