Expansion of Biometric Check-In Program an Operational Highlight for Delta Air Lines

Delta’s expansion of its biometric check-in program is one of the top three highlights of its operating performance for March, alongside new domestic connections and attaining approvals for a new joint venture with Korean Air.

The airline announced its expansion of the program toward the end of last month. It’s the product of a collaboration with CLEAR, a company specializing in expedited biometric security screening for airports and other large venues: Members of Delta’s loyalty program who have also registered with CLEAR are able to check in at the airline’s Delta Sky Club locations with a simple fingerprint scan. Initially launched at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the program was expanded nationwide last month, bringing it to all 50 US Delta Sky Club locations.

In a statement announcing its operating performance, Delta highlighted “new developments in customer experience innovation with biometric check-in at Delta Sky Clubs”, as well as the announcement of a new Delta Sky Club coming to Phoenix Sky Harbor later this year.

It’s a sign of the growing importance of biometrics in the travel industry, not just for border screening but also in customer service. Solutions providers like Vision-Box have been promoting systems that could effectively use biometrics to identify a given passenger throughout an entire airport, which promise to both improve the customer experience and operational efficiency via automation. Delta’s embrace of fingerprint-based check-in represents a step toward such a future.

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April 4, 2018 – by Alex Perala