Skift Take
Consumers are more comfortable with biometrics than ever, and we can probably thank Apple for that. Now airlines are starting to ask whether they might use facial recognition, fingerprints or iris scans to make the passenger experience better. Here's hoping they succeed.
Recently, passengers on some KLM flights departing Amsterdam haven't shown a boarding pass to get on a plane. They haven't needed to show their IDs, nor have they interacted with an agent at the boarding door.
Instead, KLM has been using facial recognition software for a multi-month trial that began in February. By the time each passenger boards at the airline's test gate, KLM's systems already have scanned the traveler's passport, boarding pass, and face. From there, passengers get on the plane — no documents required. Then, after the flight, the airline erases the data.
It's just a test, and it may not speed the airport experience, since passengers still must wait in other lines. But KLM's approach, along with similar ones from other airlines, including British Airways at London Heathrow and Air New Zealand in Brisbane, Australia, shows what's possible with biometrics, and how future travelers may avoid showing documents at each stop in the terminal. Airlines expect they may soon scan passenger eyes, faces or fingerprints to authenticate each traveler.
This is not new technology. In many countries, including the United States, immigration officers use biometrics to confirm passenger identities. U.S. authorities generally use fingerprints, but elsewhere some governments have invested in less intrusive technology, such as iris scans and facial recognition. Some countries use biometrics at security checkpoints for identity checks.
Biometrics is still probably most useful for immigration and security services focused on securing airports and borders. But with the technology already being installed at many airports for other uses, airlines are beginning to test how they can use it to improve the passenger experience. Fo
