New Air Travel ID Technology Being Tested

TSA is assessing new biometric fingerprint ID technology at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta and Denver International Airport. The technology is being used in the TSA Precheck lane and allows the passenger’s fingerprint to serve as both a boarding pass and identity document by matching passenger fingerprints provided at the checkpoint to those that have previously been provided to TSA by travelers when they enrolled in TSA Precheck. Data collected during the pilot program will be analyzed by TSA, which may then decide to implement the program at other U.S. airports in the future.

In addition, JetBlue is collaborating with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and SITA to test a new paperless and deviceless self-boarding process as part of ongoing trials to implement a biometric exit process in the future. JetBlue is the first airline to integrate with CBP to use biometrics and facial recognition technology to verify customers at the gate during boarding. The program began in June on flights from Boston’s Logan International Airport to Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport. Customers can participate without any prior enrollment or registration. Customers who opt in during the boarding process can put away their boarding passes and devices and simply step up to the camera for a quick photo. The custom-designed camera station will connect to CBP to instantly match the image to passport, visa or immigration photos in the CBP database and verify flight details.