Passenger monitoring system and method

• US 7,044,371 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2003
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Southwest Airlines Company
• Original Assignee: Southwest Airlines Company
• Inventors: Shaffer, Robert, Harris, Don, Dove, Karen, Weidman, Steve, Zuzu, John
• Primary Examiner(s): PAIK, STEVE S
• Application Number:
  US10/718,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20050109843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 235/384, 235/375, 235/492, 235/435, 235/380, 235/382, 705/5, 340/10.1, 340/573
• US Class Current: 235/384
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/366 Check-in counters
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring passengers during boarding or disembarking of a passenger carrier is provided. This includes providing a passenger monitoring system at a gateway area for boarding or disembarking of a passenger carrier for a designated carrier event. The passenger monitoring system may include a passenger data collecting device, an instruction input device, a video monitor display device and a data processor that is in communication with a remotely located central database containing stored carrier and passenger data for the carrier event. Passenger boarding or disembarking data from at least one passenger is collected during boarding or disembarking operations at the gateway area with the passenger monitoring system. The stored carrier and passenger data is updated with the collected data. The stored carrier and passenger data is displayed on the display device of the passenger monitoring system upon inquiry instruction input into the instruction input device.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring passengers during boarding or disembarking from a passenger carrier, the method comprising:

providing a passenger monitoring system at a gateway area for boarding or disembarking of a passenger carrier for a designated carrier event, the passenger monitoring system including a passenger data collecting device, an instruction input device, a video monitor display device and a data processor that is in communication with a remotely located central database containing stored carrier and passenger data for the carrier event;

performing a monitoring system logon operation to allow selected access by an overseer to the central database from the monitoring system;

selecting a carrier event to be monitored with the monitoring system;

providing boarding and disembarking monitoring operation selection options with the monitoring system;

selecting one of the boarding and disembarking monitoring operation selection options;

collecting passenger boarding or disembarking data from at least one passenger with a single inquiry event for each at least one passenger at the gateway area for the selected carrier event with the passenger monitoring system;

comparing the collected passenger data to the stored carrier and passenger data for the carrier event; and

providing a comparison result on the display device of the passenger monitoring system based upon the compared collected and stored data, the comparison result including an indication of at least one of a validation status and a non-validation status to indicate to the overseer whether the at least one passenger is authorized for the selected carrier event, and optionally a prompt to check for passenger information for the at least one passenger, and further including displaying at least a passenger identifier for the at least one passenger and a total number of passengers having a validated status for the carrier event on the display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

selecting one of the boarding and disembarking monitoring operation selection options includes selecting manual boarding or disembarking options, and wherein collecting passenger boarding or disembarking data from at least one passenger includes selecting at least one passenger from a list of passengers or selecting the entire list of available passengers for the carrier event and manually entering boarded or disembarked stabs for said at least one passenger or entire list of available passengers; and

further comprising

providing a reconcile option that may be selected, wherein information regarding non-boarded or non-disembarked passengers is displayed with the display device upon selection.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying stored carrier and passenger data on the display device that includes at least one of baggage information associated with each passenger, boarding pass identifier and any transitional passenger information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

transitional passenger information includes at least one of connecting and continuing passenger information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

connecting passenger information includes at least one of the total number of connecting passengers for the designated carrier event, identification of the connecting passengers, identification of connecting passengers'"'"' incoming carrier events, scheduled time of arrival of the connecting passengers'"'"' incoming carrier events, origin of the incoming carrier events and status of the incoming carrier event.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying stored carrier and passenger data on the display device that includes boarded or non-boarded status for each passenger associated with the carrier event.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

collecting passenger boarding or disembarking data from at least one passenger at the gateway area with the passenger monitoring system includes collecting disembarking data with the monitoring system from at least one de-boarding passenger having pre-existing boarded status data associated therewith stored in the central data base.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the passenger monitoring system includes a passenger-data item reader in the form of an optical bar code reader; and

collecting passenger boarding and disembarking data includes receiving an optical data signal from a passenger-data item associated with a passenger when the item is brought within a proximal distance to the reader.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying stored carrier and passenger data on the display device that includes displaying non-boarded passenger information for the designated carrier event, the non-boarded passenger information including at least one of identification of non-boarded passengers, non-boarded passenger boarding pass information, baggage information associated with each non-boarded passenger and final destination of each non-boarded passenger.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the non-boarded passenger information includes baggage information associated with each non-boarded passenger; and

further comprising

communicating the non-boarded passenger baggage information from the passenger monitoring system to a baggage handler associated with the designated carrier event to facilitate separation of such baggage from the passenger carrier.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying stored carrier and passenger data on the display device that includes displaying standby passenger information for the selected carrier event, the standby passenger information including a standby designation of standby passengers and at least one of identification of standby passengers, standby passenger boarding pass information, baggage information associated with each standby passenger and final destination of each standby passenger.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the standby passenger information includes baggage information associated with each boarded standby passenger; and

further comprising

communicating the baggage information of each boarded standby passenger baggage from the passenger monitoring system to a baggage handler associated wit the designated carrier event to facilitate loading of such baggage on the passenger carrier.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the passenger monitoring system includes a printer for printing baggage information on a baggage tag.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting status indication feedback data from the monitoring system to the central data base in response to the comparison result; and

updating the stored carrier and passenger data of the central database with the status indication feedback data.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

comparing the collected passenger data, providing a comparison result, transmitting status indication feedback data, and updating the stored carrier and passenger data of the central database occur immediately upon collecting passenger boarding or disembarking data.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a reconcile option that may be selected, wherein information regarding non-boarded or non-disembarked passengers is displayed with the display device upon selection.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a reconcile option that may be selected, wherein information regarding non-boarded or non-disembarked passengers is displayed with the display device upon selection.