“Facial Recognition Technology in American Airports: A Smoother Experience for Passengers”

In the experimental phase in 16 American airports, this technology promises voluntary passengers a smoother experience before boarding.

Par
The editorial staff of figaro voyage

Posted on 05/22/2023 at 07:00

Will we soon be able to board a plane without having to pull out our boarding pass and passport ? This is the objective of the facial recognition technology that has just been authorized for UNITED STATES the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). It is deployed on an experimental basis in 16 American airports, including that of Boston, Las Vegas, The Angels et Miami. In concrete terms, just before going through the various checkpoints at the airport, the passenger can, on a voluntary basis, scan his ID and look at a camera for a few seconds. This approach makes it possible to match his face with his identity document. The face then becomes the only “document” to circulate in the airport.

Nevertheless, “travelers should always check in with their airline in advance and bring their boarding pass to their gate“recalls the TSA. The government body promises to cut the identity check process from 30 seconds (by a human) to two or three seconds (by a machine). The objective is also to better detect falsified documents.

” READ ALSO – Why your luggage gets lost at the airport (and how to prevent it from happening)

In France, already being tested at Paris-Orly

Facial recognition is in the test phase at Paris-Orly airport since March 2021, only for voluntary adult passengers traveling with Air Caraïbes and Frenchbee. While such technology raises the question of the protection of personal data, Aéroports de Paris specifies on his site that this data is automatically erased after the flight has taken off. Since the beginning of 2023, other airports around the world have been experimenting with this technology. This is the case, among others, of Berlin (on Lufthansa Group flights), from Toronto and Vancouver (on Air Canada).

Technological developments are expected to change the way we fly in the years to come. At United Kingdom3D scanners capable of better distinguishing the contents of luggage sound the imminent end of the 100 ml rule by plane. And the British government promises that by June 2024, passengers departing from the country’s main airports will be able to carry two-litre containers for liquids with them, and will no longer have to take their electronic devices out of their bags during checks. of security. Paris-Orly airport has been experimenting with this technology since the end of 2022 for a period of one year.

ON VIDEO – More secure and faster, Orly airport is experimenting with 3D scanners for cabin suitcases