Will passports be replaced by biometrics?

The coming year will see the expansion of the use of biometrics – an individual's unique physical identifiers such as fingerprints and faces – at airports in the United States and abroad, a shift to improve security and replace physical identification such as passports and driver's licenses. and reduce the amount of time it takes travelers to pass through airports. Biometric technology will be seen everywhere, from baggage drop-off at check-in counters to domestic security checkpoints.

In the United States, the Transportation Security Administration is expanding its activities program allowing passengers to opt for a security screening based on a facial recognition match to their physical identification – a photo taken in real time is compared to a scan of a driver's license or passport and helps the TSA officer verify a traveler's identity. This program is currently available at 30 airports nationwide, including Salt Lake City International Airport And Denver International Airport; the TSA said it will expand to more than 400 airports in the coming years.

TSA PreCheck travelers flying on Delta Air Lines may not need to show ID at all during bag drop and security if they sign up for Delta's digital identity card program.

The program, which compares a photo taken at the airport with a photo in a database trusted travelers (compiled by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency) lasts about 40 seconds, says Greg Forbes, Delta's Managing Director of Airport Experience. The pilot program is now available at five airports, including La Guardia Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.

Internationally, Singapore's Changi Airport plans to introduce facial recognition technology for departing passengers so it is no longer needed to show their passports.

Neville Pattinson, head of North American business development for biometrics at Thales, a global technology company, said travelers will become increasingly comfortable with using biometrics.

“We see that the traveler requires much less interaction, making it less stressful and more seamless,” Mr Pattinson said. “We see biometrics really helping the travel industry deal with the rising number of travelers and the need to really process people faster.”