International airlines are pushing for hassle-free flying to recoup losses in global air travel business because of security fears and have come up with a plan that includes a high-tech "Checkpoint of the Future."

The plan, however, calls for extensive profiling of passengers and setting up categories of low- and high-risk flyers among other attributes that will help airlines decide which travelers posed least risk and could be speeded through the baggage and passenger check-in processes.

Ideas for a streamlined checkpoint figured at the International Air Transport Association Aviation Security conference in Amsterdam and drew interest from Latin American aviation industry experts who are currently in the forefront of heavy investment in aviation security. About 500 industry leaders took part in the meeting.

"With a decade of experience in the post 9/11 world, it is time for a holistic review of what has been created," IATA Director General and Chief Executive Officer Tony Tyler said.

"There are a lot of things we do right and there is lot that could be improved. I am convinced that by working in partnership we can find a better way. Security is a top priority for everyone associated with the aviation industry," Tyler said.

IATA is calling for an overhaul of airport security screening and urging early adoption of the principles behind its Checkpoint of the Future vision.

COF introduces a risk-based approach supported by advanced technology to allow passengers to move through the checkpoint without stopping, unpacking or disrobing.

Latin American airports are investing heavily in cargo and passenger security and have built lucrative links with U.S. and European companies supplying increasingly sophisticated scanners for goods and people.

Delegates said the conference heard concerns that security checks were turning people off air travel and affecting business on a wide scale.

The Checkpoint of the Future, involving color-coded scanning corridors -- not just single, dedicated machines that people and cargo pass through -- was presented as a potential solution that could also restore some of the lost air business.

Tyler said airline industry and security services concerned with safe air travel currently squandered far too much of their resources on detecting threats from "99.9999999 percent who mean us no harm." Current estimates say airlines spend more than $7.4 billion on security, costs they pass on to the customers.

Among security measures being studied and already in place is a known traveler program -- a few steps ahead of the frequent travel program. Airline executives, including Tyler, took pains to deny the screening process would amount to ethnic or religious profiling.

Instead, delegates said, there would be greater reliance on human observers positioned at strategic points at airports to supplement the work of the planned scanning corridors.

Brazil is already rehearsing stringent security measures in preparation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

A mock-up checkpoint on display at the Aviation Security World Conference in Amsterdam showed how passengers could be guided into one of three corridors upon presenting their passports: blue for frequent travelers, purple for normal passengers and orange for those singled out for further vetting.

Airlines said they would be introducing elements of the Checkpoint of the Future in stages on some of the most-traveled routes as well as smaller airports, where pilot schemes for Checkpoints of the Future will soon be under way.

Tyler urged governments and other aviation stakeholders to join airlines in a partnership to improve aviation security and the experience of both travelers and shippers.

"Today's security checkpoint was developed in the 1970s when hijackers carrying metal weapons were the threat," Tyler said.

"It is a 40-year-old concept that needs to fundamentally change. We have added layers of process in response to threats and events but we have not made it any more intelligent because we do not use the information that is collected on passengers to power a risk-based approach.

"A one-size-fits-all model is applied to every passenger. Their experience is often unpleasant, intrusive, inefficient and time consuming. For the billions of dollars that we spend, we could do a lot better," Tyler said.

"With traveler numbers expected to reach 3.5 billion by 2015 -- up 700 million from today -- we need to get started now," Tyler added.