Skift Take
Covid has spiked interest in biometric technology to reduce touchpoints and speed travelers through airports. Travel tech firm Pangiam is betting this is only the beginning with the acquisition of the facial recognition system VeriScan from the Washington, D.C., airports operator.
Imagine passing through an airport from the curb to one’s flight without ever having to show a boarding pass or ID to either security personnel or a gate agent during the entire process.
That’s the seamless airport journey envisioned by security and travel services technology provider Pangiam. The Virginia-based company has purchased the biometric facial recognition system VeriScan — think Apple’s Face ID but for airports and airlines — from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) for an undisclosed amount. While currently used to board select flights, the firm has big plans for the platform that it believes could help reshape how people travel in a post-Covid world.
The deal will be announced late Friday morning.
“That’s our vision — to integrate that entire pathway,” Pangiam co-founder and Chairman Kevin McAleenan told Skift during a demonstration of VeriScan at Washington Dulles International Airport this week.
The company’s ambitions could not come at a better time. Vaccines are allowing travelers to gradually break free from their Covid-19 bubbles with many airlines anticipate a robust number of leisure flyers this summer. However, until the U.S. and other countries reach herd immunity, fears of the virus remain with many people wary of high-touch surfaces like those at airports.
Airlines and air
