The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of touchless technology as biometric technology saw saw a quick rise at airports throughout the United States. Biometric check-in and baggage drop systems were piloted at Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and New York LaGuardia (LGA). These systems have cut travelers time spent by 30 percent, per Covington Travel.
The Transportation Security Association (TSA) has also recently expanded their pilot program for facial recognition technology. The goal with the pilot program is to match a traveler’s face with a photo ID at security checkpoints. Travelers will approach a machine in line at security and insert their ID into the reader, and the photo on the ID is then matched with what the camera sees live. The goal of the facial recognition technology is to prevent the use of imposter ID’s. To protect the traveler’s privacy, all passenger images are deleted after being taken at the security line. If you’re traveling at one of the country’s biggest airports like Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, or Atlanta, among others, you may see this new facial recognition technology.
International business travelers will see immigration and border control speed up at 27 U.S. airports, also thanks to facial recognition technology while security checkpoints will also being using fingerprint technology as well, according to Covington Travel.
In the rental car world, Hertz is testing a program at Atlanta-Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, allowing customers to use fingerprint or facial recognition to pick up pre-booked hire cars. It’s expected to be at 40 other locations next year including LAX, San Francisco and New York JFK.