Enhanced Passenger Processing enters the fray at US airports

Air travel is so back. Numbers are up, and it’s the Fourth of July, when U.S. travelers take to the skies for a long holiday weekend. CBS News reports that nearly 2 million people are expected to pass through Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports over the next three days, up 11 percent from 2024. On the horizon looms the FIFA World Cup in summer 2026 and the Summer Olympic Games in 2028. The surge is good news for the airline industry – but a potential headache for anyone who has to pass through those crowds.

Enter airport biometrics. U.S. airlines are installing facial recognition technology to speed up passenger processing, cutting times by up to 90 percent.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA)’s Pre-Check is among the most familiar airport biometric systems. But a new one has begin appearing at airports, brought to you by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Enhanced Passenger Processing system leverages iProov biometrics

The Enhanced Passenger Processing (EPP) system uses biometric technology from iProov to expedite CBP’s screening of arriving U.S. citizens and move them through the international arrivals area. It uses a tablet to conduct a facial scan that is matched against a passport photo that CBP already has on file. An officer monitors the lane, to instruct passengers on the process and assist or interview them as needed.

EEP launched in late 2024 as a pilot at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and is now deployed at 12 U.S. airports, as well as a couple internationally – in Dublin Airport (DUB) in Ireland and at Canada’s Montreal-Pierre Trudeau International (YUL).

It recently launched at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). Roy Fuhrmann, chief operating officer of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), says in a release that “improved screening efficiency means passengers can clear customs more quickly to conclude their journey at MSP and head home or to make connections and get to their final destination.”

CPB is also behind the Seamless Border Entry technology now available at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). The new initiative builds on CBP’s Global Entry program, allowing travelers, including approved foreign nationals, to pay a $120 fee to access special queues, and get a TSA PreCheck screening. The system also photographs and assesses travellers as they pass through a screening area, without their having to break stride.

Seamless Border Entry is also available at airports in Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Newark, and Houston.

United, Alaska, American expand TSA PreCheck offerings

Meanwhile, airlines continue to expand their deployments of TSA PreCheck, which variously uses biometrics from Clear, Idemia and Telos. A release from Alaska Airlines says it is “bringing the TSA PreCheck Touchless ID program to our guests departing select hub airports, starting with Seattle on June 26, followed by Los Angeles on July 8 and Portland on July 10.” Earlier this year, Alaska launched the face biometrics-based version of PreCheck in Atlanta (ATL) and Washington D.C. (DCA).

United has also begun offering Touchless ID for passengers traveling through Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SEA).

And a release from American Airlines says it now offers TSA PreCheck Touchless ID to its AAdvantage members traveling through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC).

TSA PreCheck is only open to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals and lawful permanent residents. The application fee is $78 and status is valid for five years.

The program has faced continued scrutiny from regulators and privacy advocates.

Cross Border Xpress implements biometrics at Tijuana border

Yet another acronym is also crashing the expedited travel party. The Cross Border Xpress, or CBX, is a terminal that connects Southern California to the Tijuana International Airport via a pedestrian bridge that straddles the border. Now, according to My High Plains, it is the first land border crossing to implement passenger biometric technology.

“As of last week, passengers returning from Mexico through CBX have been able to scan their U.S. passports or U.S. passport cards as they leave the Tijuana airport,” the piece says. “Upon reaching the U.S. side of the facility, Customs and Border Protection officers already have their biometrics, citizenship information and other data.

CBX says it takes passengers 18 minutes on average from the time they retrieve their luggage at the Tijuana airport to actually crossing the border.

Article Topics

airport biometrics  |  American Airlines  |  biometrics  |  border security  |  CBP  |  Enhanced Passenger Processing  |  facial recognition  |  iProov  |  TSA  |  U.S. Government