Passengers can use facial recognition technology during various stages of the airport journey at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson
Using a face as an identification tool has just become reality at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta international airport.
American carrier Delta Airlines has revealed the first biometric terminal in the United States which will serve its passengers travelling through Atlanta‘s terminal F on international flights.
The technology allows travellers to use biometric data instead of a boarding pass or a passport during various stages of their journey through the airport.
Passengers can apply it during check-in at the self-service kiosks in the international lobby, as well as when they drop checked baggage at the counters. The biometrics serve as identification at the TSA checkpoint and during boarding at any gate in Terminal F. International travellers arriving into the United States can use their faces through the CBP processing.
“Delta’s successful launch of the first biometric terminal in the US at the world’s busiest airport means we are designing the airport biometric experience blueprint for the industry,” said Gil West, Delta’s COO.
“We’re removing the need for a customer checking a bag to present their passport up to four times per departure – which means we’re giving customers the option of moving through the airport with one less thing to worry about, while empowering our employees with more time for meaningful interactions with customers.”
She added that Delta plans to scale the end-to-end airport biometric terminal experience to the global airline’s hub in Detroit in 2019.
Touchpoints throughout the terminal in Atlanta started coming online in mid-October – nearly all 25,000 customers who travel through ATL Terminal F each week are choosing this optional process, with less than 2 per cent opting out.
Based on initial data, the facial recognition option is saving an average of two seconds for each customer at boarding, or nine minutes when boarding a wide body aircraft.
