Biometric identification is the future of travel.Forget the passports, the travel documents, the photo IDs. Very soon, the only thing you’ll need to do to catch a flight to the destination of your choosing is say ‘cheese.’
More and more, airports around the world are working to speed up the boarding process using biometric technology, such as facial recognition systems, which can verify an individual’s identity based on physical or behavioral characteristics.
Delta Air Lines opened the nation’s first fully biometric terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in November, allowing passengers to breeze through check-in, luggage drop-off, TSA luggage checks and boarding lines by simply looking into a camera for fewer than 5 seconds.
In addition to simplifying the boarding experience, the technology also increases security, experts say. Passport fraud is not uncommon, and it’s much harder to mimic the unique shapes that make up a specific individual’s face, especially when the image is matched against the database compiled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Facial recognition isn’t the only biometric tech feather that aviation authorities hope will take air travel into the future. Here are some other innovations to be on the lookout for.