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Heathrow and Gatwick airports buy anti-drone systems after scare
London's airports don't want a repeat of the drone panic that left Gatwick travelers grounded for days, and they're willing to spend loads of cash to keep their skies safe. Heathrow and Gatwick have spent millions of pounds on "military-grade" anti-drone systems in the wake of the scare. It's not clear what they've purchased, but it might be a Rafael Drone Dome system that can jam drone communications. The company told the Times that it had seen interest from UK customers, but it's not clear if that included the two airports.
UK police arrest two over Gatwick airport drones
Drones flying around London's busy Gatwick airport have disrupted air travel since Wednesday evening, but now the Sussex Police Department has announced two arrests connected to the incidents. The airport reopened for service Friday morning, but the Guardian reports that another drone sighting shut down flights for about an hour around 5 PM. Police Superintendent James Collis said the arrests occurred around 10 PM (local time) Friday. There are no further details on who the police nabbed or what's behind their "criminal use of drones" but the police are remaining on site and asking the public to call in if they have any information.
Drones cause holiday chaos at one of London's busiest airports (updated)
Drones spotted over the UK's second-busiest airport have halted flights since Wednesday evening (December 19th), heavily disrupting the holiday travel of tens of thousands of passengers. Flights at London's Gatwick airport couldn't take off or land, and airport authorities said that 110,000 passengers on 760 flights were affected yesterday. Operations briefly resumed at around 3 AM, then were halted about an hour later when the drone was spotted again. The airport finally reopened this morning, though the Gawick airport authority has advised travelers to check their flight's status before traveling.
TSA outlines its plans for facial recognition on domestic flights
The Transportation Security Administration is determined to make facial recognition and other biometrics a regular part of the airport experience, and it now has a roadmap for that expansion. The effort will start by teaming with Customs and Border Protection on biometric security for international travel, followed by putting the technology into use for TSA Precheck travelers to speed up their boarding process. After that, it would both devise an "opt-in" biometric system for ordinary domestic passengers and flesh out a deeper infrastructure.
FAA clears DJI and other drone companies to fly near airports
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given nine companies permission to fly in controlled airspace, such as airports, as part of its Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) initiative. One of those nine companies is DJI, along with Aeronyde, Airbus, AiRXOS, Altitude Angel, Converge, KittyHawk, UASidekick and Unifly. It doesn't mean operators can fly those brands' drones over airports anytime they want, though -- it only means that professional drone pilots can now get authorization to enter controlled airspace in near-real time instead of waiting for months.
Delta’s fully biometric terminal is the first in the US
Delta Air Lines is launching what it calls the first "biometric terminal" in the US. The airline will use facial recognition at check-in, security and boarding inside the international terminal at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson -- similar to systems already in place in Dubai and Australia, but more comprehensive than the biometric checks already in use at other airports around the US.
Face scanning in US airports is rife with technical problems
If you've had misgivings about the effectiveness of Homeland Security's airport face scanning (let alone the privacy implications), you're not alone. The department's Inspector General has issued a report warning that the scanning system is struggling with "technical and operational challenges." Customs and Border Protection could only use the technology with 85 percent of passengers due to staff shortages, network problems and hastened boarding times during flight delays. The system did catch 1,300 people overstaying their allowed time in the US, but it might have caught more -- and there were problems "consistently" matching people from specific age groups and countries.
Trump will reportedly spare Apple products from latest China tariffs (updated)
If you were scrambling to buy the latest Apple Watch out of concern that Trump's next round of tariffs could lead to price hikes, you can likely relax. Bloomberg sources have claimed that the new tariffs don't affect a technology category that covers many of Apple's products, including the Watch, AirPods, the HomePod and Beats headphones. This is also likely to exempt comparable products from other companies, such as Fitbit's activity trackers and Sonos' speakers, but the scoop only mentioned Apple's by name.
TSA plans wider expansion for 3D luggage-scanning machines
The TSA had already planned to expand its pilot program using specially-designed CT scanners to screen airline passenger luggage from tests in Phoenix and Boston to major airports in Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington-Dulles. By the end of 2019, they envisioned spreading 145 of these machines in security checkpoints across the country. But it seems the tests have gone so well that the agency is increasing its order to 200 scanners in the next year, the TSA chief told Congress today.
New lawsuit shows your phone is unsafe at American borders
A recent case filed in federal court, in which an American woman had her iPhone seized and cracked by Customs and Border Protection in a New Jersey airport puts a whole new spin on the things we now need to worry about when leaving the country. It appears that now everyone's phones, despite country of origin or cause, are subject to nonconsensual seizure and search -- even if we refuse to give up our passwords. If you're not caught up on the story, news hit this week that a Staten Island mom coming home from a February trip with her 9-year-old daughter from Switzerland had her iPhone snatched, kept for months and accessed for no given reason. Apple did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
Autonomous drones can herd birds away from airports
Drones aren't usually allowed to go near airports unless they serve a purpose, like herding flocks of birds away from the airspace where they could put planes full of people in jeopardy. Manually controlled drones can be unreliable, though: If the operator gets too aggressive and spooks the birds, the flock could scatter and become even more unmanageable. That's why a team of researchers from Caltech have developed an algorithm that teaches unmanned aerial vehicles how to autonomously (and effectively) herd birds away from airport airspace.
TSA will install 40 luggage CT scanners in airports this year
The TSA has been using CT scanners to screen airline passengers' luggage since last year -- early tests of the technology have been taking place in Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport and Boston's Logan International Airport. But now, the agency has shared its plans for CT technology going forward, including expansions into additional airports. American Airlines announced earlier this month that a CT scanner was being set up in New York's JFK airport and the TSA says Baltimore-Washington International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and Washington-Dulles International Airport are among those that will have CT scanners in the near future.
New York's JFK airport will screen luggage with a CT scanner
Some passengers traveling through JFK airport will soon have the contents of their luggage examined through a CT scanner. American Airlines has donated eight of the machines to the TSA, one of which has been installed at JFK, and it's expected to be put into operation in JFK's Terminal 8 security checkpoint later this month. By opting for a CT scanner over the traditional x-ray machines, TSA agents would be able to see contents more clearly and be able to rotate images of passengers' luggage 360 degrees. "What it's capable of doing is detecting a wider range of explosives, which is very important, [as well as] a much lower weight of explosives," TSA Administrator David Pekoske told CBS News. "They're just much better at detection, so you really get better security faster, essentially."
Dark web shop was selling access to a major airport's security systems
While McAfee's Advanced Threat Research team was looking into dark web marketplaces, it found a number of shops offering stolen access to various companies' and groups' systems. Disturbingly, among the findings was access to a major international airport's systems, which could be bought for the low price of just $10. McAfee said the shop appeared to be offering access to the airport's security systems as well as its building automation, surveillance and transit systems.
Australian airport begins passport-free biometric check-in trials
Qantas passengers who travel through Sydney Airport will be among the first groups of travelers to use facial recognition in automated check-ins, bag drop, lounge access and plane boarding. The system will ultimately allow officials to process travelers quicker. Early trials which provide a glimpse into a seamless, passport-free future are currently underway, but their implementation is provoking mixed responses.
NASA's aircraft modifications make planes 70 percent quieter
While NASA's research often makes headlines for advancements that could facilitate space exploration -- like, say, more portable nuclear reactors or X-ray navigation -- it also looks into tech to help us here on Earth, too. The agency just completed a series of flights testing out new airframe components that could reduce the noise they generate when landing by over 70 percent. That could mean quieter airports and happier communities surrounding them, and consequently fewer noise complaints to the FAA.
TSA's thirst for Instagram fame pays off with three Webby awards
Who do you think would win Webby awards for its social media marketing prowess? A cutting-edge brand that resonates with the young crowd? A superstar who can break the Internet with one picture? Actually, it's... the TSA. Yes, the same agency that takes your water bottle at the airport (among other instances of security theater) just bagged three social content marketing Webby awards for its Instagram feed.
Apple discontinues its AirPort WiFi routers
The longstanding rumors of Apple exiting the WiFi router market were true: the company is officially discontinuing its AirPort and Time Capsule base stations. An Apple spokesperson told Engadget that the company would continue to provide hardware and software support (such as patching bugs and vulnerabilities), but the devices themselves will only be available "while supplies last." The tech giant will post a series of knowledge base documents over the next few weeks to help guide customers wondering what to buy.
British Airways expands its biometric boarding gate trials in the US
British Airways is expanding its biometric boarding gate tests in the US. Last November, it began testing self-service boarding gates in Los Angeles Airport that don't require customers to produce either their boarding pass or their passport. Instead, passengers only need to look into a camera, wait for their biometric data to be checked against their passport, visa or immigration photos and then walk onto the plane once their identity has been verified. So far, the US tests have been limited to those flying out of LAX on British Airways flights to Heathrow. But now, the self-service gates are also being tested in Orlando International Airport with customers flying to Gatwick as well as in New York's JFK airport and Miami International Airport with passengers flying in to the US from Heathrow.
North Korea gets a modern staple: lousy airport WiFi
North Korea is continuing to slowly embrace modern technology, although not in the ways you might like. The AP's Eric Talmadge has discovered that Pyongyang's airport now has WiFi, with $2 getting you 30 minutes of online time. But just like many airport hotspots, it doesn't appear to be usable -- Talmadge couldn't get a valid login even after enlisting the help of a supervisor, and it had trouble opening a page in the process. It's unclear whether this was a one-time problem or reflective of poor maintenance, but the signal is definitely there.
