TSA Approves Rollout of ARINC CrewPASS^SM; ID System Now Includes Biometrics and Employee Data

Annapolis, Maryland—ARINC Incorporated today announced it has received authorization from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to proceed with the operational rollout of its CrewPASS^SM electronic identification service for airline crews. CrewPASS is currently in field testing at three U.S. airports.

ARINC recently added biometric fingerprint scans to the CrewPASS system, reflecting the evolution of the service under the direction of the TSA.

CrewPASS is designed to give working airline crews expedited clearance through TSA security checkpoints at airports in the U.S. More than a thousand pilots have participated in the successful CrewPASS test program since it was launched in mid-2008.

An average of 350 pilots now use CrewPASS daily at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), and Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) in Columbia, SC.

ARINC and its data partner LexisNexis^®/ChoicePoint began collecting fingerprint scans with each new CrewPASS enrollment in June. CrewPASS is supported by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and crewmembers from more than 30 airlines.

“We have made solid technical progress and the TSA has approved the standards. We are now in the process of converting this trial program into an operational service,” states Tim Ryan, ARINC CrewPASS Program Director. ARINC has spent months in discussions with leading airlines to develop a gradual nationwide rollout plan, and the company believes a rollout of about 50 to 75 airports per year is easily attainable.

To use CrewPASS, airline crew members must present their airline employee badge at a TSA checkpoint and place their index finger on a scanner. The badge number is verified against the airline’s secure database, while the fingerprint scan is verified against a secure CrewPASS database maintained by LexisNexis^®/ChoicePoint. The process takes only a few seconds.

“The next milestone involves recruiting multiple airlines as early adopters. This will allow us to begin a systematic rollout of the service nationwide,” Ryan says. “TSA and the airlines both stand to benefit from this service. CrewPASS improves airport security with positive identification of crewmembers.  An added benefit is shorter checkpoint lines and reduced workload for TSA screeners.”

ARINC’s CrewPASS program responds to a 2007 Congressional mandate for TSA to support an expedited security clearance method for airline crews. In developing CrewPASS, ARINC leveraged the technology in its highly successful CASS^TM Cockpit Access Security System, a private security program used by nearly 100 airlines. ARINC and the Air Line Pilots Association worked together to promote the adoption of a similar solution in CrewPASS.

ARINC Incorporated, a portfolio company of The Carlyle Group, provides communications, engineering and integration solutions for commercial, defense and government customers worldwide. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland with regional headquarters in London and Singapore, ARINC is ISO 9001:2008 certified.

Release: 09-046

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