European carriers pilot biometric boarding

LUFTHANSA and British
Airways have rolled out
biometric boarding for
some flights in the United
States to simplify and speed
up boarding, and agents
say this new development
is a game-changer for
corporates.
So far, the procedure
has been piloted for
passengers flying out of
Los Angeles International
Airport on these airlines.
Now, self-service gates
are also being tested
at Orlando International
Airport for passengers
flying to Gatwick. Biometric
procedures are also being
tested at JFK and Miami
international airports with
passengers flying in from
Heathrow.
Rachael Penaluna,
business manager of
Sure Maritime Travel,
says corporates using
biometric boarding are very
pleased with the results
as they do not have to
worry about scrambling
to produce paperwork
or documents at the
boarding gate. “The notion
is that boarding passes
and having to carry and
produce ID are antiquated.
My understanding is that
Lufthansa is boarding 500
passengers in 20 minutes –
brilliant!” she says.
All passengers need to do
is approach the self-boarding
gate before boarding,
pause and look into the
camera. Within seconds,
facial scans are sent in
real-time to US Customs
and Border Protection for
verification. If a passenger’s
biometric data is verified,
they can continue down the
air bridge and board the
aircraft. Following the trial,
the airlines plan to roll out
biometric boarding at other
airports around the country.
While Siobhan Nel, ITC
of Travel Counsellors,
expresses concern about
the safety of having a
client’s biometrics stored
all over the world, Rachael
argues that biometrics
are secure and, for this
reason, all embassies are
introducing this form of
identification.
Lufthansa and British
Airways are not the only
airlines to offer biometric
boarding in the US. Delta Air
Lines and low-cost carrier,
JetBlue, have been testing
the process in Atlanta and
Boston, while Qantas and
Korean Air are busy looking
into it.