Pangiam Bets on Facial Recognition to Speed Travelers Through Airports Post-Covid
Photo Credit: Emirates is one of 41 airlines who use VeriScan to board flights at Washington Dulles airport. Skift / Edward Russell
Skift Take
Covid has spiked interest in biometric technology to reduce touchpoints and speed travelers through airports. Travel tech firm Pangiam is betting this is only the beginning with the acquisition of the facial recognition system VeriScan from the Washington, D.C., airports operator.
Imagine passing through an airport from the curb to one’s flight without ever having to show a boarding pass or ID to either security personnel or a gate agent during the entire process.
That’s the seamless airport journey envisioned by security and travel services technology provider Pangiam. The Virginia-based company has purchased the biometric facial recognition system VeriScan — think Apple’s Face ID but for airports and airlines — from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) for an undisclosed amount. While currently used to board select flights, the firm has big plans for the platform that it believes could help reshape how people travel in a post-Covid world.
The deal will be announced late Friday morning.
“That’s our vision — to integrate that entire pathway,” Pangiam co-founder and Chairman Kevin McAleenan told Skift during a demonstration of VeriScan at Washington Dulles International Airport this week.
The company’s ambitions co
