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.