As lines at TSA airport checkpoints within the US construct up at the tip of summer, one foreign airport goes all-in on the biometric passenger experience. The Smart Travel Project at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi will introduce biometric sensors at every identification checkpoint within the airport by 2025.
Airport security and travel experts generally welcomed the move.
“They are boldly moving forward by using facial recognition as a means to allow travelers access to their system, and I commend them for doing so,” said Sheldon Jacobson, a professor of engineering and computer science on the University of Illinois. Jacobson has been researching airport security for the reason that Nineteen Nineties and helped the TSA develop its pre-check program, which allows some travelers within the U.S. to bypass checkpoints. “Facial recognition is the future, and we're going to start making airport security smarter and focusing on the traveler instead of the items they're carrying. By doing so, we're creating a different paradigm,” Jacobson said. “What they're doing in Abu Dhabi is just the beginning, but it has to start somewhere.”
The move to paperless travel from parking garages to seatback tables is worrying for some, who wonder if an outage like Crowdstrike could cripple all-electronic boarding systems and convey travel to a halt. But Jacobson says that's a rare occurrence, and even when the system were to fail completely due to an outage, the online advantages of a biometric travel experience will outweigh the prices over time.
Zayed International Airport's program relies on a partnership with the federal government. The UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security collects biometric data from every traveler arriving within the UAE for the primary time. The airport then uses this database to screen passengers passing through checkpoints. The airport didn’t reply to a request for comment on its plans. Saeed Saif Al Khaili, director general of the UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, he said in a recent press release that the Biometric Smart Travel project “aims to enhance the travel experience at Zayed International Airport from curb to gate while ensuring a high level of security.”
Jacobson says the TSA tends to make changes more slowly and incrementally, and the UAE's political system allows for faster implementation of programs. So this all-encompassing biometric collection probably wouldn't work within the U.S., not less than not now. Whenever recent biometric programs are introduced, there’s “tremendous resistance,” he said.
Nevertheless, the US population appears to be increasingly comfortable with using biometric procedures at airports.
According to data analytics firm JD Power, a majority (53%) of respondents at a significant U.S. airport say biometrics at airports are an excellent idea or they’re willing to implement a biometric security check, with one other 12% saying it might be an excellent idea but having privacy concerns.
Concerns raised include what form of data should be provided during biometric capture and whether biometric security processes might be used to trace movement throughout the airport or whether biometric data might be used outside the airport.
“To further expand the technology and enable airports and travelers to use it, airports should establish clear policies and processes and educate travelers on potential uses. Traveler consent is critical,” said Mike Taylor, senior managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at JD Power.
Shawn DuBravac, futurist and creator of “Digital Destiny: How the New Age of Data Will Transform the Way We Work, Live and Communicate,” believes biometrics will transform travel. “While we're seeing increased use of biometric sensors to simplify travel, the vision of a completely paperless travel experience by next year is incredibly ambitious,” he said.
Travel veterans generally agree that some aspect of biometrics will play a task in future airport visits, in the event that they aren't already. DuBravac sees biometrics at airports within the U.S. as a method of constructing the human factor more responsive.
“Instead of dealing with mundane tasks like document verification, staff can provide better customer service, assist travelers with special needs and ensure that the overall passenger experience is efficient and enjoyable. Automating routine processes will enable a more human experience,” he said.
Billionaire Elon Musk praised Zayed’s innovation, Comment by X in response to a video showing a traveler rushing through check-in at Abu Dhabi airport, saying the U.S. must “catch up.”
“Musk's comments are almost wishful thinking,” said Irina Tsukerman, a national security lawyer and fellow on the Arabian Peninsula Institute, noting that privacy concerns and costs would likely prevent the implementation of a completely biometric airport experience within the U.S.
“This worked in Abu Dhabi because the UAE is a small, wealthy monarchy where the population has a high level of trust in the government and has enough resources for technical innovation,” Tsukerman said. In the U.S., these conditions don’t exist. “The transition to full automation for all eligible travelers will be time-consuming, laborious and expensive, and will face resistance from airport unions,” she said.
Even though Musk criticizes American airports, it is just not the case that there isn’t a biometric technology within the USA.
In 2018, LAX was considered one of the primary airports within the U.S. to check a biometric boarding process, and today it’s used as an option for eligible passengers.
“At LAX, we are using biometrics to help our partner airlines and federal agencies speed up the boarding process for international departures,” said Ian Law, chief digital transformation officer at Los Angeles World Airports, which incorporates LAX. There are as much as 4 biometric lanes at each international departure gate, and facial recognition technology could be used for contactless, paperless screening of travelers.
“Airlines can significantly reduce the time it takes to board an aircraft, thereby reducing the waiting time for travelers,” Law said.
While no U.S. airport comes near Abu Dhabi's goal of getting a completely biometric airport, many airports within the United States use not less than some biometrics. According to the TSA, the PreCheck option is currently available at greater than 200 airports with over 90 participating airlines across the country and features a voluntary facial recognition component. To be approved for PreCheck, participants fill out an internet form, pay a fee, undergo a background check and in-person interview, and might opt to have a facial recognition scan.
Clear, a publicly traded company, has also established itself in greater than 55 U.S. airports, allowing individuals who pay a fee and undergo pre-screening to skip lines and board biometrically. The service has discouraged some lawmakers from adopting a tiered system for travelers, and in California a gaggle of lawmakers tried – but unsuccessfully – to limit Clear earlier this 12 months.
Travel technology provider Amadeus is just not involved in Abu Dhabi airport's biometric program, but has it in use at other airports resembling Dubai, Vancouver, Perth and London's Heathrow. Chris Keller, vice chairman of airport and airline operations at Amadeus, says airports may implement paper backups within the foreseeable future if there’s a technological issue. “We expect more and more passengers to use biometrics, but there will always be a group, perhaps those who need special assistance or premium passengers, who will opt for an agent-assisted experience and prefer a paper document,” Keller said.
Jacobson said potential criminals are deterred by knowing their faces in an airport biometric system. “Once the person is known, it has a deterrent effect and lowers the risk,” he said. But he also identified that Musk's comments lack context. “It's not that we're behind, this is a gradual process of growth and development,” he said. “We're not going to get it done this week. It takes a certain level of will and proof of concept.”
For example, when PreCheck-in was introduced in 2011, it took eight years from proposal to implementation.
“People don't mind change. If we're going to make changes, we need to make them more efficient, safer and less intrusive,” Jacobson said.
In the US, it can probably be some time before you possibly can get from the check-in within the terminal to your seat on the plane just by showing your face.
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