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If it’s been a year or more since your trip, especially internationally, you might notice something different at airports in the United States: More steps, from checking a bag to clearing customs, are automated using biometrics.
biometrics are unique individual attributes, such as fingerprints, that can be used to automate and verify identity. They promise both greater safety and efficiency in transporting passengers at an airport where passengers are normally required to present government-issued photo IDs from check-in to boarding.
During the travel disruption caused by the pandemic, many airports, airlines, technology companies and government agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration and United States Customs and Border Protection continued to invest in biometric developments. The need for social distancing and contactless interaction only increased the urgency.
“The technologies have become much more complex and the accuracy is much higher,” said Robert Tappan, general manager of the trade group. International Biometrics + Identity AssociationThe so-called “COVID accelerated” push to relieve crowds and reduce contact through these tools.
Most of the latest biometric developments use facial recognition. National Institute of Standards and Technology recent finds are at least 99.5 percent accurate rather than iris scans or fingerprints.
“The iris scan was touted as the most flawless,” said Sherry Stein, head of technology for the Americas. SITAis a Swiss-based biometric technology company. “For biometrics to work, you need to be able to match it with a known reliable data source because you are trying to compare it to a record on file. A face is the easiest because all the documents we use to prove your identity – driver’s license, passport, etc. – are based on the face.”
Shortly after 9/11, Congress entry and exit system Using biometric technology to secure US borders. While some travelers have expressed privacy concerns and companies and agencies using the technology say they don’t store images, the systems rely heavily on willing travelers who agree to their use.
“Privacy is a big concern as it should be, so many of these programs will be preferential and the government is trying to grow this pre-approved audience,” said Jason Van Sice, Vice President of Aviation. Advanced Recognition Systems Division NEC Corporation of AmericaHe has been working in the field of biometrics since 1971. He added that the loss of jobs during the pandemic has forced airlines and airports to automate as a cost-saving measure. “This has truly driven a digital transformation that is already underway.”
There are signs that the pandemic may advance biometric acceptance. In the recently published 2021 passenger survey, International Air Transport Association It found that 73 percent of passengers, up from 46 percent in 2019, are willing to share their biometric data to improve airport processes.
Some of the biometrics may come from their everyday applications, such as using facial recognition to unlock your phone or access your banking app.
“The implementation of seamless and contactless platforms is currently in full swing around the world and is expected to have the greatest impact by 2022, as planning and deployment typically takes 12 to 18 months to be effective,” said Jeff Lennon. vice president, strategic sales and global partnerships Vision BoxOperates biometric technology at more than 100 airports around the world, including New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. “This is in line with the expected return on mass international travel next year.”
In short, tech-driven changes are coming to airports fast and furiously, including the following developments in biometrics.
Facial recognition from baggage control to aircraft
In November, Delta Air Lines launched a new digital identity program At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, for TSA PreCheck members who can choose to use facial recognition to do everything from checking a bag to keeping security and boarding domestic flights.
To participate, the passenger must enter their US passport number, which provides a back-end check of your ID using your passport photo, even though the new program is domestic only.
Using hands-free face scanning, passengers can get a luggage tag and then move on to a dedicated TSA PreCheck line for face scanning, no ID required.
Currently, Delta has eight doors in the T concourse equipped for domestic flights with facial recognition; Most of these flights head to business travel destinations like New York City and Boston. Flyers do not need to show a boarding pass and their seat assignment will appear on the face recognition screen after scanning.
Delta has been testing the technology since 2018 and plans to bring it to its Detroit headquarters this year.
“We want to give our customers more time to enjoy the journey by unlocking end-to-end simplified, seamless and efficient experiences,” said Byron Merritt, Delta’s vice president of brand experience design.
Passportless biometrics test
Only 44 percent of the U.S. population passportsIt limits the pool of flyers who can access biometric technology based on passport photos. To make the technology available to more travelers, biometrics company SITA has teamed up with United Airlines at San Francisco International Airport earlier this year to test a system that uses passports as registration documents alongside driver’s licenses and compares it to face scans for bag control and domestic flights. he did. boarding.
Through a spokesperson, United said the test was successful and is “constantly looking for other ways to use biometrics to streamline the travel experience for customers and we will have more to share in the coming weeks and months.”
SITA described the trial as a success, thanks to the growth of research. true identitystandardizing driver’s license requirements nationwide and will be mandatory for airline passengers by May 3, 2023. The company said it plans to launch the technology next year, but didn’t say where.
Facial recognition at the border
On your way back from Iceland to Chicago O’Hare International Airport in October, it normally scans your passport and fingerprints. Global Entry members like me got past the Customs and Border Protection agents in a matter of minutes. This time the kiosk just took my picture, spat out a copy with my name and passport information, and in less than a minute I was past the agents.
Customs and Border Protection introduced facial recognition technology to kiosks used by Global Entry members from 2018. Facial recognition is used in 42 of the 76 airports and pre-control points with Global Entry access.
Global Entry has long relied on the voluntary submission of biometrics for identification, accelerating the re-entry into the United States of approved applicants who provide fingerprints, answer a comprehensive survey, and pay $100.
More broadly, CBP uses face comparison technology at approximately 200 airports for entry into the United States and 12 ports used by cruise lines. It is currently testing the technology, called Simplified Arrival, in certain lanes for incoming calls. Vehicles At Anzalduas International Bridge Entry Port near McAllen, Texas.
International biometric boarding
According to technology suppliers, boarding a plane using biometrics increases efficiency. Mr. Lennon of Vision-Box, who made biometric boarding at New York Kennedy airport, said he was able to board 400 people in 20 minutes, which is about half of the normal boarding time.
Even before the pandemic, three former US-based carriers were experimenting with biometric boarding of outbound international flights. American has biometric aircraft at four gates, including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Chicago O’Hare, and is testing facial recognition technology for entry into Admirals Club lounges at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
United offers the technology on international flights departing from the United States in Houston, Washington Dulles, San Francisco and Chicago O’Hare. More than 250 international outbound flights a week are biometrically boarded, a spokesperson said, and the airline plans to expand to additional hubs next year.
Delta, international flyers facing as boarding pass At eight airports, including Minneapolis and Kennedy. Biometric boarding is optional and anyone who wishes to have it manually processed can use a boarding pass and passport.
From airports to sports fields
Perhaps the most visible biometric operator at airports across the country, OPENis a subscription service that allows members to use their private kiosks to evaluate your biometric data, verify your identity and put you at the head of the TSA security line. Subscribers pay $179 per year and send iris scans and fingerprints.
Since the pandemic, the company has DELETE Health Cardis a free-to-user digital health record that clears an individual based on things like vaccination requirements for fast-track entry to participating gyms.
Elaine Glusac is a Frugal Traveler columnist. Follow him on Instagram @eglusac.
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