Southwest Airlines Offers Low Fares, High Security

Southwest Airlines chose Ionit Technologies for its new digital video security system.

Discount carrier Southwest Airlines (SWA) not only offers great deals; it''ll take one too. When Southwest decided to install a network-based digital video security system, the company turned to Ionit Technologies for a cost-effective solution. “It''s no secret that we watch costs very closely at Southwest Airlines, and so far the Ionit security system is meeting our expectations on all fronts,” states Vance Toler, director of corporate security for Southwest Airlines.

Toler and his team at SWA spent several months looking at the latest technology in high-quality digital video systems. “Finding a system with a long recording time, a high fps rate, and a good user-friendly interface were at the top of our list of priorities,” Toler says.

Dallas-based IDN-Acme''s Randy Hutchison proposed to SWA a solution to meet its security needs. IDN-Acme had been working with Southwest for 10 years, supplying the airline with lock hardware. In 2004, Hutchison inquired about its CCTV system and was introduced to Toler and his staff. “In an Ionit demonstration to SWA, they liked what they saw and asked for a trial testing period,” says Hutchison. “After a month of extensive testing, SWA made the decision that the Ionit digital video recording system was the DVR for them.”

Ionit Technologies, headquartered in Northbrook, Ill., manufactures advanced digital video systems for security and management control purposes, specializing in high-compression video storage. Toler explains why SWA chose Ionit over the other DVRs under review: “Ionit fit our long-term objective not only to standardize, but also to expand our video capability to support our security and operational needs.”

SWA contracted with Flores Technical Services (FTS), a Dallas-based integrator, to install and integrate Ionit''s ionitPRO+ 16-channel unit with its current security system. Before FTS installed the first Ionit DVR in the Security Command Center at Southwest''s corporate headquarters in Dallas, Southwest Airlines developed plans to get the maximum amount of use from the Ionit system.

David Johnson, senior account executive with FTS, worked closely with Toler''s security team to maximize the potential gains—both in security and operations—by installing Ionit. “At SWA''s headquarters, we installed and integrated the ionitPRO+ DVR system with SWA''s existing CCTV system and expanded with new equipment in areas as needed,” says Johnson. Currently, FTS is working with SWA to integrate Ionit with its existing access control system and expanding to other locations across the country.

After the Ionit systems were up and running at the Security Command Center, FTS moved into the next phase of the Ionit roll-out—upgrading security at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) SWA cargo facility. Among other benefits, the enhanced security at LAX has enabled Southwest''s air cargo services to provide further peace of mind to its customers.

FTS has been working with SWA on installing comprehensive camera coverage and integrating Ionit systems at other locations. “We are entering phase two in terms of our long-term operational plan for installing the Ionit system on a broad scale across our system,” says Toler.

Toler says that in the past the limitations of a tape-based system presented too many problems when attempting to remotely access video information. Because of this, Toler explains, SWA would lose the option of using video as a forensic tool. “The Ionit system allows us to permanently install multiple cameras at any location and bring the video feed back to our headquarters'' facility for review without worrying about changing tapes.”

Vance Toler, Southwest Airlines' director of corporate security.

And SWA is already seeing the benefits of Ionit''s industry-leading compression technology at work. “Not only is Southwest getting 24/7 recording at 15fps on each camera, they have also been able to download and remotely review video from Phoenix and LAX for evidentiary purposes,” says Mike O''Reilly, senior vice president of Ionit Technologies.

Additionally, with Ionit''s advanced compression technology, an hour-long video at 15fps averages less than 25MB per hour. This translates into SWA having the ability to quickly download and review video from its headquarters in Dallas.

Compression is critical because SWA can stream high-resolution video from each 16-channel ionitPRO+ system at high frame rates without overloading its network. With the Ionit system, Southwest can configure the Ionit systems to its specific needs. For example, SWA can watch four cameras from Phoenix, eight from LAX, and four from Dallas all at the same time, all in realtime—defying the principle that you can''t be in two, three, or four places at the same time.

What''s next for Southwest? “We have discussed the possibility of installing cameras at our gates in a few Northeastern locations, which would allow us to bring the video feed back to our corporate headquarters to view such things as local weather conditions and aircraft activity at the gate,” says Toler.

Johnson sums up the success of the SWA security install: “In all phases of the project, SWA, IDN, FTS, and Ionit have worked closely together to insure minimal interruption to SWA''s daily operations while maintaining a high level of security. The four companies look at each other as partners in this project as we move forward to meet Southwest Airlines'' security needs.”