A woman tests Vueling's new biometric identification system at El Prat Airport, January 19, 2023, in El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
David Zurakino | Europa Press | Getty Images
As late-summer lines crowd TSA checkpoints at U.S. airports, one overseas airport is turning to a biometric passenger experience. The Smart Travel Project at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi will include biometric sensors at every airport identification checkpoint by 2025.
Airport security and travel experts have generally welcomed the move.
“They’re moving aggressively toward facial recognition as a way to let travelers into their systems, and I applaud them for doing that,” said Sheldon Jacobson, a professor of engineering and computer science at the University of Illinois. Jacobson has studied airport security since the 1990s and helped the Transportation Security Administration develop the PreCheck program, which allows some travelers in the United States to bypass security checkpoints. “Facial recognition is the future, and we’re going to start being smart about airport security and focusing on the traveler instead of the items they’re carrying. By doing that, you can create a different paradigm,” Jacobson said. “What they’re doing in Abu Dhabi is just the beginning, but it has to start somewhere.”
The commute from the parking lot to the dining table behind the seat is a hassle for some people, who wonder if a power outage like Crowdstrike could take down the entire electronic boarding system and bring travel to a halt. But Jacobson says such events are extremely rare, and even if a power outage did completely shut down the system, the net benefits of a biometric travel experience would outweigh the costs over time.
The Zayed International Airport program is based on a partnership with the government. The UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security collects biometric data from any passenger arriving in the UAE for the first time. The airport then uses this data base to verify passengers passing through checkpoints. The airport did not respond to a request for comment on its plans. Saeed Saif Al Khaili, director general of the UAE’s Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security, said in a recent press release that the biometric smart travel project “aims to enhance the travel experience at Zayed International Airport from curb to gate, ensuring high levels of security and safety.”
Jacobson says the TSA tends to move slowly and incrementally when it comes to changes, and the UAE’s political system allows for faster implementation of programs, so such a comprehensive collection of biometric data is unlikely to catch on in the United States, at least not yet. Whenever new biometric programs are introduced, he adds, there is “tremendous resistance.”
However, the American public appears to be becoming more comfortable with the use of biometric data at airports.
According to data analytics firm JD Power, a majority (53%) of those surveyed at a major U.S. airport say biometrics at airports is a good idea or would be willing to use biometric security screening. Another 12% say it’s a good idea but have privacy concerns.
Concerns expressed include what type of data someone might need to provide during the biometric registration process, whether biometric security checks will be used to track movements around the airport, or whether biometric data will be used outside the airport.
“To make the technology more widespread and allow airports and travelers to benefit from it, airports need to have clear guidelines and processes in place and educate travelers about potential uses,” says Mike Taylor, senior managing director of travel, hospitality and retail at J.D. Power. “Getting traveler buy-in is essential.”
“While we’ve seen the increasing use of biometric sensors to simplify travel, to see a completely paperless experience by next year is incredibly ambitious,” said Sean DuBravac, a futurist and author of “Digital Destiny: How the New Age of Data Will Transform the Way We Work, Live, and Communicate.”
Travel experts generally agree that some aspect of biometrics will be included in future airport visits if it isn’t already. Dubravac sees biometrics at U.S. airports as a tool to make the human element more responsive.
“Instead of managing routine tasks such as document verification, employees can deliver higher levels of customer service, assist passengers with special needs, and ensure the overall passenger experience is efficient and enjoyable. Automating routine processes will enable a more human experience,” he added.
Billionaire Elon Musk praised Zayed's innovation, commenting on X in response to a video showing a traveler speeding through check-in procedures at Abu Dhabi airport, saying the United States needs to “catch up.”
“Musk’s comments border on wishful thinking,” said Irina Tsukerman, a national security lawyer and fellow at the Arabia Institute, noting that privacy concerns and costs would likely prevent a full-fledged biometric airport trial in the United States.
“This worked in Abu Dhabi because the UAE is a small, wealthy kingdom with a high degree of public trust in government and sufficient resources to devote to technological innovation,” Zuckerman said. But the same ingredients don’t exist in the United States. “Moving to full automation for all eligible passengers would be time-consuming, expensive, and face resistance from airport unions,” she added.
Despite Musk's criticism of US airports, it's not as if there is no biometric presence in the US.
In 2018, Los Angeles International Airport became one of the first airports in the United States to implement a biometric boarding system, and today, it is used as an option for eligible travelers.
“At LAX, we are using biometrics to support our airline partners and federal authorities to speed up the boarding process for international departures,” said Ian Law, chief digital transformation officer at Los Angeles World Airports, which includes Los Angeles International Airport. There are up to four biometric lanes at each international departure gate and facial recognition technology can be used to verify a traveler’s identity without touching or using paper.
“Airlines are able to significantly reduce the time it takes to board a plane, which reduces the time passengers spend in queues,” Lu said.
While no U.S. airports are close to Abu Dhabi’s goal of a fully biometric airport, many in the United States are using at least some biometrics. According to the Transportation Security Administration, PreCheck is currently available at more than 200 airports with more than 90 participating airlines nationwide and includes a voluntary facial recognition component. To be approved for PreCheck, participants fill out an online form, pay a fee, undergo a background check, an in-person interview, and can opt into a facial recognition scan.
Clear, a public company, has also successfully infiltrated more than 55 U.S. airports, allowing those who pay a fee and are pre-screened to skip lines and board flights using biometric data. The service has made some lawmakers reluctant to create a tiered system for travelers, and in California a group of lawmakers tried — and failed — earlier this year to restrict Clear.
Travel technology company Amadeus is not involved in the biometrics program at Abu Dhabi, but it is used at other airports, including Dubai, Vancouver, Perth and London Heathrow. Chris Keller, Amadeus’s vice president of airport and airline operations, says that in the foreseeable future, airports will be able to implement paper backups in the event of a technological problem. “We expect the number of passengers using biometrics to increase, but there will always be a group, perhaps those who need special assistance or premium passengers, who will choose an agent-assisted experience and prefer paper documents,” Keller says.
Jacobson says would-be criminals will fail to achieve their goals because their faces will be recognized in the airport biometric system. “Once you have a known person, it has a deterrent effect and reduces the risk,” he said. But he also noted that Musk’s comments lacked context. “It’s not that we’re behind,” he said. “This is a gradual process of growth and development. We’re not going to get there this week. It takes a certain amount of will and a proof of concept.”
For example, when PreCheck launched in 2011, it took eight years from proposal to implementation.
“People are uncomfortable with change, and every time we make changes we have to do it more efficiently, more safely and in a less intrusive way,” Jacobson said.
In the United States, it will likely be some time before getting from airport check-in to your plane seat requires only showing your face.
