RFID Journal's Jonathan Collins reports today that 60 Hertz customers are trialing RFID-enabled frequent-user cards at France's Nice Côte d'Azur Airport. The trial, which will run for six months, involves 10 specially-equipped Renault Mégane vehicles.

"The impetus behind the trial is to provide a more seamless travel experience for hertz and Air France customers," says David Trimm, vice president of business systems at Hertz Europe.

The RFID system eliminates the need for the customer to check in at a counter. The customer simply checks a display board to learn the location of the the rental car, then goes to the car and holds an RFID-enabled Hertz Accessplus Next Generation membership card up to the windshield's RFID interrogator antenna.

The card, developed by Geneva-based Icomsat, uses an embedded Philips Semiconductors Mifare RFID chip, which operates at 13.56 MHz and conforms to the ISO 14443 standard for contactless smart cards.

"Upon verifying that the customer is picking up the correct car, an onboard computer unlocks the vehicle's doors," Collins writes. "Before the customer can drive the car away, a computer display screen, attached to the rear view mirror, asks if the driver has a valid license. If the answer is yes, a vehicle immobilizer allows the car to start with the push of the ignition button."

If the trial goes well, the company says it will expand it to other airport locations throughout Europe.