Atlanta Airport Seeks Partner for Biometric Expansion

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is expanding its use of biometric technology to all 40 international gates, building on a system already in place for some Delta passengers.

As Chris Crist, the airport’s Chief Technology Officer, explained in an interview with Cities Today, the system allows travelers to use facial recognition instead of physical boarding passes and passports, which has significantly reduced boarding times. “It takes a second and that saves quite a bit of time,” Crist noted.

The airport is currently seeking a partner to help roll out this technology across all international gates, aiming for a solution that works with any airline, not just Delta.

Beyond passenger convenience, Atlanta’s airport also plans to extend biometric technology to its employees for accessing secure areas. Currently, employees use badges and PINs, but Crist mentioned that the new system would eliminate the need for a PIN, relying solely on facial recognition to enhance security. “No longer are we having to worry about PII or someone getting that information,” he said, emphasizing the security improvements this will bring.

One of the challenges the airport faced when introducing biometric technology was addressing privacy concerns. Many passengers were initially skeptical, worried about how their personal data might be used. However, Crist pointed out that no images are stored locally by the airport and that the data is handled securely through customs databases. He acknowledged that privacy concerns were a hurdle, but emphasized that educating travelers has helped alleviate these worries.

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has been at the forefront of implementing biometric technology in air travel. The journey began in June 2016 when Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initiated its first facial recognition pilot at the airport. In 2017, Delta Airlines started testing fingerprint scanning in the TSA Precheck lane, laying the groundwork for more extensive biometric applications.

A significant milestone was reached in November 2018 when Delta Airlines, in collaboration with CBP, TSA, and the airport, unveiled the first fully biometric terminal (Terminal F) in the United States. The system allowed international passengers to use facial recognition for various processes, including check-in, bag drop, security checkpoints, boarding, and CBP processing upon arrival. Initially available for passengers on Delta and select partner airlines, the system saw high adoption rates with less than 2 percent of passengers opting out.

Since then, the airport has continued to expand and refine its biometric capabilities. In 2021, Delta extended facial recognition to domestic travelers who are TSA PreCheck members and have a Delta SkyMiles number. The technology was also added to the South Security Checkpoint for domestic travelers.

Source: Cities Today

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September 19, 2024 – by the ID Tech Editorial Team