Korean Air, Hamad Airport roll out biometric facial recognition for seamless travel experience

Facial recognition boarding is now available for Korean Air flights leaving at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, following a partnership with Delta Air Lines to deliver a faster traveling experience for passengers who longer have to scan their boarding passes, writes Passenger Terminal Today.

The airline had already made the service available at Singapore and Los Angeles airports, and plans on adding JFK airport in New York to its portfolio in December. Future smart air travel plans include installing facial recognition services in line with the Incheon International Airport Corporation’s Smart Airport Plan in South Korea. At the moment, self-check kiosks are already available at Incheon airport for seat assignment and baggage self-tagging, which allegedly cuts check-in time by over 30 percent.

Biometric authentication systems which include palm vein scanning and fingerprinting were adopted at South Korean airports for domestic flights in 2018. Hartsfield-Jackson is also the site of Delta Airline’s first biometric terminal, which was unveiled a year ago.

On the other side of the world, Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, has announced its two-stage plan for airport expansion that will include an indoor tropical garden, gyms, restaurants, and spas to deliver a better passenger experience. Looking at processing 60 million annual passengers by 2022, up from a present 29 million, HAI is testing different biometric technology-related projects and improvements under the Smart Airport program. These cover facial biometric recognition for all passenger experience elements such as biometric check-ins, backdrops, security entrance checks, and border control. An augmented reality app will help improve passenger experience.

Last December, Hamad International Airport was introducing its plan to expand its deployment of biometrics and create a single system to manage the entire customer airport journey.

Article Topics

airport biometrics  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  identity verification  |  passenger processing