Atlanta Airport Officials to Test Biometric Check-In for Domestic Travel

Authorities at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport are experimenting with the idea of bringing facial recognition to check-in counters in the airport’s domestic terminal, reports the AJC. Plans are underway to test the technology by the end of this year.

Facial recognition technology is already being used to process travelers at the airport’s international terminal, with Delta Air Lines having deployed the biometric technology at check-in counters and boarding gates in 2018. Now, authorities are looking at how this technology can help to facilitate contactless interactions in the domestic terminal in a bid to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Distinct from the Delta program already in place, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport authorities are looking to implement a facial recognition system for the domestic terminal that could be used by any airline.

The system would revolve around using facial recognition to compare a traveler to their official identity documents. This would distinguish it somewhat from many other biometric passenger screening systems now in place at airports across the country, in that turning the technology to domestic travelers would allow the system to match individuals not just against passport photos, but against driver’s licenses.

In addition to the biometric screening of passengers at check-in, Hartsfield-Jackson officials are planning to test the use of facial recognition at baggage check as well.

The plans reflect a broader trend toward biometric passenger authentication at airports around the world, as well as a growing embrace of contactless biometrics in particular – especially facial recognition – amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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August 28, 2020 – by Alex Perala