Silver Airways, a regional airline that serves Florida and the Caribbean, continues flying after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on Monday.
13.12.2024 - 14:07 / thepointsguy.com / John F.Kennedy / Leonardo Da-Vinci / David Pekoske
Biometric screening, or touchless ID, is coming to an airport near you, and it will speed up your journey — especially through airport security.
I'm a huge fan, and now that more airports are rolling out this technology, I want to share what it's like to use it.
Essentially, the new technology allows facial recognition software to confirm your identity, check you in, print out your bag tags, and even let you walk through security without showing a boarding pass or pulling out identification.
For example, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Delta Air Lines operates a biometric screening lane that is often the fastest way through security. I've used it in Atlanta, as well as at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). I've found it to be faster than the TSA PreCheck lines and the Clear lines.
American Airlines recently announced that it would join Delta and United Airlines, both of which already operate biometric screening at select airports. The version Delta uses is called "Delta Digital ID," and it lets TSA PreCheck members use facial recognition to pass through TSA PreCheck security in just a few seconds.
Touchless ID is the future of airport security, and it's already here. It means passengers can speed through bag drop-off, Transportation Security Administration screening and — at many airports — the plane boarding lines, all without showing a boarding pass or even an ID in some cases.
"It whizzes people through," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in an interview with TPG. "It makes security better. It makes it faster, and it's just a much better experience for people."
Both Delta and United also use biometric bag drop, which speeds up the wait to check luggage where it's deployed.
The technology is spreading, revolutionizing the airport experience for the travelers who are already using it.
It's also becoming more common internationally. Facial recognition is increasingly being used to screen passengers at ports of entry with biometrics-enabled electronic gates such as those greeting passengers at Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO).
The TSA has been experimenting with the technology since 2019. Already, biometrics are deployed at more than 30 airports across the country, though they've been mostly used at boarding gates to speed up the often-slow process of getting passengers onto planes. A screen snaps your picture and matches it to a photo of your identification or, alternatively, your actual travel document, like a passport.
I'll use Delta as my example because that's the airline I have the most experience with. Delta Digital ID is currently available as part of a pilot program at seven U.S. airports: ATL, JFK, LGA, Detroit
Silver Airways, a regional airline that serves Florida and the Caribbean, continues flying after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on Monday.
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