Case Study #16 - San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport Exceeds FAA Requirements with Schlage Recognition Systems HandKey®

Industry:Transportation
Application:Access Control
Biometric:HandKey®
HandReaders:170+
Users:34,000
Geography:United States

“The Schlage Recognition Systems HandReaders are reliable and enhance security. They do a good job.”
- Roger Case, Technicians Supervisor, San Francisco International Airport

Summary
San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the ninth busiest in the world, provides superior security throughout its facility with Schlage Recognition Systems HandKey® biometric hand reader.

Business Need
Few public facilities require as much attention to security issues as a major international airport. SFO needed a way to restrict unauthorized personnel from sensitive areas such as aircraft operations and baggage handling, and to ensure security of its boarding areas. It also wanted a reliable access control system for its new International Terminal. “Simple ID badges can be lost, stolen or given to cousins or friends,” said Roger Case, Technicians Supervisor at SFO. “In contrast, the Schlage Recognition Systems hand readers are reliable and enhance security. They do a good job.”

Challenges
The Airport wanted a foolproof identity verification system for critical areas throughout its bustling facility.

Solution
SFO installed HandKey® readers several years ago at critical access points throughout existing terminals. They worked so well that the airport recently selected HandKey readers for its new International Terminal. One place where security is particularly important is the aircraft operations area. HandKey readers control the doors that lead out to the “tarmac” where the planes are serviced by baggage handlers and other support personnel, ensuring that only authorized people can access the area. More than 170 of Schlage Recognition Systems Hand-Readers are a crucial element in the airport’s overall security.

Airports across the globe are using hand readers to secure their most sensitive areas. Schlage Recognition Systems HandReader, which verifies a user’s identity based on the unique size and shape of his or her hand, has been installed at major airports across the nation, including New York’s Kennedy International and principal airports serving Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Newark, New Jersey.

In addition, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service already had been using the HandKey readers as chief components of its INPASS program there and at nine other airports. Frequent international travelers enrolled in the program avoid immigration lines by
using a self-service kiosk that includes a HandKey.

When the people planning access control for the airport’s new International Terminal needed a way to ensure the security of its operations, they knew from experience how easy to use and reliable the HandKey readers are, so it was an easy choice to specify Schlage Recognition Systems HandKey readers for the expanded facility.

Result
San Francisco International Airport ensures vital security throughout its facility.