Question of the year: Could Google Glass ease air travel?

“Google’s internet-enabled eyewear, Glass, is undoubtedly the star of a nascent market in wearable computers. But while BBC News has reported that the tech giant won’t sell Glass until late 2014 at the earliest, airlines are already anticipating how it – and computerised spectacles like it – might someday improve security and other vital airport operations.”

“Time is money for airlines, which get charged for the time they spend at the gate, and smart glasses could theoretically be used to help agents check passenger identification more quickly, therefore saving carriers time and gate fees. When a passenger steps forward to get on a flight, an agent could hold up the boarding pass and passport in front of their smart glasses, scanning barcodes on the two documents simultaneously.

If the passenger’s name on the documents matched each other and also matched the airline’s flight records, the agent would see a green light on his or her heads-up display telling them to let the passenger board. If the records didn’t match, agents would review the passenger’s documents according to old-fashioned procedure, said O’Sullivan, whose team has been testing the concept.”

TTS’ Take: At TTS Lab, our R&D Department, we recently started an investigation project focused on wearable technology like the Google Glass, that can be used as a new way to facilitate the relation between the Traveller and the Travel Agent, in order to manage all the existing and emerging travelling needs.