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The generation of selfie-lovers could soon put their skills to good use when travelling. US airline JetBlue is trialling facial recognition to replace a boarding pass to help speed up the
process. Travellers will head to a camera station when checking in where their photograph will be taken. This is then to be compared against a database of passport and visa images to confirm
the identity, preventing the need for long and laborious queues. The trial in the US is working with US Customs and Border Protection and global provider SITA to implement the process. It’s
the first airline to combine biometrics and facial recognition, hoping to speed up the check-in process. The budget airline carrier will be testing it out for three months with any
travellers flying from Boston’s Logan Airport to Aruba. The photograph, taken at the gate, will then eliminate the need for boarding passes and tickets, although travellers will still need
to take their passport. Joanna Geraghty, executive vice president at JetBlue, explained how it could revolutionise the airport experience. “We hope to learn how we can further reduce
friction points in the airport experience, with the boarding process being one of the hardest to solve,” she stated. Jim Peters, chief technology officer, SITA suggested that it could be an
amazingly helpful change to the way in which travellers board. “What we want to deliver is a secure and seamless passenger experience,” he explained.