JetBlue to Test Facial Recognition for Boarding Without Passports
Photo Credit: A customer uses facial recognition software to board a KLM flight in Amsterdam. JetBlue soon will become the first U.S. airline with a similar program. KLM
Skift Take
Even as tests go, this is a tiny one. But it shows what's possible with biometrics. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to go through the airport without showing a boarding pass or passport?
In a first for a U.S. airline, JetBlue Airways in June will allow passengers to board some international flights in Boston by submitting to a facial scan at the gate, rendering passports and boarding passes unnecessary.
It's a small test, with JetBlue only planning to use the optional program on flights from Boston to Aruba. And it might not save passengers much time since they'll still need to show identification and boarding passes elsewhere, including in the airport lobby, and at security screening. But if it goes well during the 45 to 90 day test, JetBlue said it might look to expand the program.
Airlines outside the United States, including Air New Zealand, British Airways and KLM, have implemented biometrics-based boarding at some gates, and Delta recently said it would test using facial scans to authenticate some
