Passengers to Munich first to use facial recognition to board plane at Miami International

MIAMI, Fla., – On Friday, Lufthansa Flight 461 to Munich, Germany out of Miami International Airport became the first flight where passengers could use biometric technology to board the plane. “For tonight’s flight, we are launching an exciting boarding process that eliminates the need for your boarding card or passport,” said a boarding agent at Gate 17. This biometric technology, designed by State Information Technology Agency, or SITA, is a facial recognition service. The photo you take is matched to other photos in the system, such as passport or visa photos along with your information, reported Frances Wang for CBS Miami.

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The Intelligent Aerospace take:

February 4, 2019-Because international travel requires a passport - and thus, a relatively recent photo - the use of biometric face scanning technology takes advantage of something that is a lot harder to fake than a photo ID or passport. Miami International Airport CEO Lester Sola said that facial scanning for travelers coming into MIA has made getting through customs a much faster affair.

“Historically, it may have taken 1 or 1-and-half hour for 500 passengers,” said Sola. “Now it’s about 15-20 minutes.”

It has also made the boarding process a bit quicker. A Delta terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is also utilizing facial recognition technology and says it trims nine minutes off the boarding process, which adds up to significant time over the course of a week, month, and year.

Related: Delta to launch first biometric terminal in the U.S. at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Related: Americans believe biometrics will improve their experience at airports; security

Related: Creepy or not, face scans are speeding up airport security

Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace

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