Pangiam acquires airport face biometrics platform veriScan

Travel services provider Pangiam has announced the acquisition of integrated biometric identification system veriScan from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).

The terms and amount of the transaction were not disclosed.

First debuted in September 2018, veriScan is now reportedly used by over 40 airlines to provide biometric passenger boarding at both airports in the DC area, as well as Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston airports, Skift notes.

The technology has already been used to facilitate more than ten thousand flights, counting more than a million passengers overall.

“Pangiam is excited to acquire veriScan, which, through its state-of-the-art technology, is truly revolutionizing the safety and ease of air travel today,” commented Pangiam CEO Kevin McAleenan, former acting Secretary of DHS and CBP commissioner.

The platform utilizes facial recognition to identify travelers and let them verify themselves without the need for passports or boarding passes, simply having their faces scanned by the system. VeriScan matches passengers’ face biometrics with existing government records, to make sure they are who they say they are when travelling.

VeriScan is certified to meet the U.S. Customs and Border Protection compliance requirements for biometric exit.

Its acquisition by Pangiam is set not only to facilitate and speed up traveling procedures but also to facilitate a return to traveling as vaccine rollout campaigns pick up the pace around the world. Pangiam was itself acquired by AE Industrial Partners late last year to build up an integrated travel solutions platform.

From a technical standpoint, veriScan does not require high-cost machinery and can run on commercial iPad and iOS mobile devices, according to the announcement.

“veriScan’s cost-effective, easy to implement cloud application makes it accessible to all airports and airlines, and we expect to see increased adoption of this technology this year as travel resumes globally,” McAleenan explained.

VeriScan uses Okta as its identity management software and AirWatch for mobile device management and security.

Moving forward, Pangiam intends to integrate veriScan’s biometric technology with check-in counters, airline lounges, boarding procedures, and more.

“Pangiam looks forward to working with our clients to help speed adoption of solutions that deliver premier travel experiences for all,” McAleenan concluded.

Article Topics

acquisitions  |  airport biometrics  |  biometric exit  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  identity management  |  MWAA  |  Pangiam  |  passenger processing  |  veriScan