Boarding passes are soon to be a thing of the past as biometric facial recognition showed exciting success. During effective trials at Los Angeles Airport, Air New Zealand passengers became some of the first to experience the face recognition system at the boarding gate.
Last week, Air New Zealand passengers did not scan their boarding passes or show any passports as they moved through the boarding gate. When entering the US, passengers received the opportunity to register with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) using their biometric information. Using automated kiosks, the same data verified their identity when boarding.
“We’ve heard from customers that they want their airport experience to be hassle-free, and technology is a key enabler of that,” said Nikhil Ravishankar, Air New Zealand Chief Digital Officer. “According to IATA, more than 75 percent of customers see huge value in biometric verification and want to use it instead of passports and boarding passes.”
The biometric information is secure with CBP and not accessible to Air New Zealand or any other airline using the service.
Ravishankar explained how this technology would significantly speed up the boarding process, enabling a seamless experience for customers and airport staff. So far, feedback from over 1,000 customers who have used the technology to board Air New Zealand flights has been positive.
Currently in communication with industry partners, globally and within New Zealand, Ravishankar emphasised that this is the beginning of advanced travel.
“Contactless technology changes are coming thick and fast, and we’re continuing to learn and adapt to new innovations that will make travel easier. In the new travel era, we need simplicity not complexity.”
When the improved Air NZ App was launched earlier in the month, the company witnessed nearly 2.3 million downloads. Ravishankar stated that biometric face recognition is another step towards being the world’s leading digital airline, and this advancement is the result of months of “hard mahi, planning, and collaboration.”
