Frequent Flyers Support Airport Facial Recognition in NEC Survey

A new NEC survey suggests that travelers are becoming more receptive to facial recognition technology at airports. Released ahead of the July 4th weekend, the survey found that 75 percent of respondents would support the use of facial recognition to screen regular travelers, with the vast majority (87 percent) supporting efforts to identify criminals and terrorists with the tech.

The 1,955 respondents were all frequent flyers in the US, many taking upwards of 10 flights a year. Facial recognition offers a potential solution to the long lines at security and check-in, with most respondents (84 percent) indicating that they would opt into facial recognition services that make it easier to move through the airport.

 The survey was conducted by Xenophon Strategies on behalf of NEC America.  

“Airlines can board jumbo jets in a third less time by using face recognition at the gate,” said Xenophon President David Fuscus. “Meanwhile, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports they have been able to stop more than 100 imposters trying to enter the country on false documents. These successes would not have happened without facial recognition.”

“Travelers are pleased with the experience and added sense of security they get from using biometric technology, as well as the efficiency experienced by the airlines,” said NEC SVP Raffie Beroukhim. “This survey reinforces the feedback we consistently get when the technology is launched at a new airport.”

Most of the respondents (78 percent) were aware of the current applications of facial recognition technology. Many were also willing to use the tech to gain access to other services like hotel check-in and car rentals.

NEC, of course, has already deployed facial recognition tech in airports around the world. The company placed biometric eGates in Narita International Airport ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with similar tech making earlier appearances at airports in New York and Brazil. The new survey should boost the company’s efforts add to its growing list customers.

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July 2, 2019 – by Eric Weiss