Airport biometrics one thing most Americans agree on

The vast majority of U.S. travelers approve of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) use of biometrics at airports, which clocks a 78 percent support rate. At the same time, only four percent of respondents say they are concerned about their privacy while traveling by air, according to a new survey released by the U.S. Travel Association and market research company Ipsos.

A further nine in ten respondents say they would be likely to support biometric use at TSA security checkpoints if it reduced the typical time it takes to get through security by 5 to 15 minutes. A majority of Americans (60 percent) also said they trust the TSA with their biometric data.

The survey comes after a bipartisan group of senators pushed to halt TSA’s rollout of facial recognition at U.S. airports, citing threats to travelers’ privacy and civil liberties. TSA has been piloting the traveler verification program in more than 80 airports with plans to expand to 400.

In May, a group of 14 lawmakers called on the Senate to use the upcoming reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) mandate to limit TSA’s use of facial recognition and introduce oversight from Congress. The Senate, however, decided not to vote on the legislative amendment proposed by Senator Jeff Merkley which would have blocked the expansion of the tech at airports.

According to the survey, support for using biometrics to check travelers’ identity was expressed at similar levels by both Democrat (80 percent) and Republican (76 percent) voters. According to Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, the figures mean that returning to more old-fashioned identity checks during air travel could cause voter backlash.

“Travelers embrace next-generation technology at the same time a small cadre of members of Congress seeks to take air travel back to the Dark Ages,” says Freeman. “Further efforts to harm the travel experience by forcing antiquated approaches upon travelers will have consequences among voters.”

Survey-takers listed preventing terrorism and human trafficking and making airports safer among the main reasons why biometrics should be used at airports. Nearly all U.S. respondents (92 percent) agreed that identity verification is an important safety measure.

More than half said they would be more likely to support TSA’s use of biometric data with safeguards such as deleting data within hours of the completed trips and ensuring data is not shared with other government agencies.

TSA says it does not plan to store the biometric data used for identity verification at security checkpoints. The one exception is data used by the Department of Homeland Security, (DHS) to test the efficacy of their facial recognition technology.

The U.S. Travel Association’s poll surveyed more than 1200 people throughout June and July.

More investment is needed to boost travel to the U.S.

The survey responses show the importance of strengthening security, protecting privacy and improving passenger experience ahead of major sporting events in the U.S. which will bring millions of people to the country’s airport, according to Freeman.

The U.S. is currently preparing to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, the Summer Olympics in 2028 and the Winter Olympics in 2034. The U.S. Travel Association has launched a Commission on Seamless and Secure Travel which will study the sector to improve travel security and efficiency, including TSA’s innovations such as TSA PreCheck Touchless ID, CAT-2 screening technology and Delta’s curb-to-gate digital identity experience.

“CBP and TSA are taking important steps to improve the travel process, and we commend their efforts,” says Freeman. “It’s clear that decades of underinvestment from Congress, combined with a lack of coordination at the federal level, has left these agencies in a pinch. With the World Cup and Summer Olympics around the corner, the time for federal leadership and investment in innovative initiatives and technologies is now.”

The Commission, chaired by former Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, is expected to release its recommendations this fall.

According to a survey from Euromonitor, the U.S. ranks 17th out of 18 top travel markets in terms of global competitiveness.

Denver airport installs new facial recognition scanners

Denver International Airport has added new facial recognition scanners at 15 gates as part of a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) system.

The move comes after a congressional order to introduce better passenger screening on international flight departures. Baltimore, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix and Salt Lake City have also embraced new measures, according to The Denver Post.

The CBP system allows passengers to insert their passports or driver’s licenses and scan their faces to confirm their identities.

The Denver airport also uses TSA’s facial recognition system for screening passengers at security checkpoints

Article Topics

airports  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  travel and tourism  |  TSA  |  United States