Amadeus
has developed facial-recognition
technology in partnership with Lufthansa that is now being used by the airline for
boarding at Los Angeles International Airport.
Lufthansa reports that during an initial
trial it was able to board 350 passengers onto an A380 plane in about 20
minutes.
The system uses facial-recognition cameras that
capture a photo of the passenger’s face as he or she approaches the gates. The image
is instantly and securely sent to the US Customs and Border Protection
database for real-time matching and verification.
Once the match is made, within a few seconds,
the system counts the passenger as “boarded,” and the person can walk onto the
plane without needing to show a boarding pass or passport.
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“The
increasing need for airlines, airports and authorities to offer faster and more
convenient processes for guests to move through the airport creates a unique
opportunity for the use of biometrics,” says Bjoern Becker, Lufthansa’s senior
director of product management for ground and digital services.
“Lufthansa
strives to enhance the customer experience by applying advanced technologies
and innovative solutions. This is a further step towards achieving that goal.”
The airline says it will introduce biometric
boarding at other US airports following the pilot in Los Angeles.
The facial recognition capability is part of Amadeus’ passenger service system, Altéa. In its release, Lufthansa says the trial also will enable Amadeus to quickly offer biometric boarding to other airlines that use the Altéa technology.
Other partners in the project include US Customs and Border
Protection, Los Angeles World Airports Authority and Vision Box.
“CBP
is excited to work with air travel industry partners like Lufthansa to
demonstrate how facial biometrics can provide a range of traveler benefits for
a secure and seamless passenger experience,” says John Wagner, deputy executive
assistant commissioner for the Office of Field Operations of the U.S. Customs
and Border Protection.
In
April 2017, British Airways began adding facial recognition technology to gates
for domestic flights at Heathrow Airport, and in November it expanded the
program to international flights from LAX.
Earlier this month British Airways added
biometric boarding for outbound flights from Orlando International Airport and
incoming flights to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Miami
International Airport. In May 2017, JetBlue announced it was partnering with
SITA
and US Customs and Border Protection to test biometric boarding for flights
between Boston and Aruba.