JetBlue, SITA, and the US Customs and Border Protection agency are working together to trial a new kind of passenger screening system that does away with both paper and device-based travel documents.
It’s all replaced by biometrics, with interested passengers having the option to sign up with a photo of their faces. Facial recognition technology provided by SITA is then used to match the passengers to their passport and flight information, and a screen integrated above the camera will tell them when they’re free to board the plane.
In a statement announcing the program, JetBlue indicated that it’s “part of ongoing trials to implement a biometric exit process in the future,” referring to the CBP’s effort to enhance airport security with biometric technology. But it also offers an opportunity for the commercial side of air travel to improve efficiency and customer service, with JetBlue customer experience EVP Joanna Geraghty noting that the initiative could help the airline to “further reduce friction points in the airport experience.”
The program will begin this June, and will be used exclusively for flights from Logan International Airport in Boston to Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba, an airport that has itself benefitted from the use of biometric screening in recent years.
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