The JetStream Passenger Processing system, by Virginia-based EyeTicket Corporation ( ), is an iris recognition technology that begins a trial run this month at London's Heathrow Airport. It will be used to identify a select group of frequent fliers on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic routes. - In 1998, employees at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, N.C., became the first to use iris recognition for security - to control employees' access to restricted areas. - Iris technology is widely considered the most accurate form of identification: The iris has more than 240 "degrees of freedom," or points of reference; the fingerprint only 20 to 40. - At Heathrow, the iris will be photographed by a digital camera which translates the iris's unique pits, ridges and tissues into a 512-byte code. That code is stored on a server, and the passenger is added to a database. The next time the passenger arrives at Heathrow, he or she will stop at an immigration checkpoint, pose for scanning and be identified in less time than it takes to check a passport - about two seconds. - "In the old days, you had retinal scanning with lasers, which could be quite disturbing. I wouldn't want laser going across my eye." Catherine Kaliniak, head of communications, EyeTicket - It's nearly impossible for two irises to produce the same scan. The probability is 1 in 10 to the power of 72. - The system, which cost an estimated $3 million (U.S.) to develop, recognizes an individual's iris regardless of lighting conditions or whether the person is wearing glasses or contact lenses. - Although EyeTicket insists the database is secure, Stephen Keating, executive director of the Denver-based Privacy Foundation, wonders about "the potential for fraud or abuse - if there are ways to outwit this system, or hack into it."