Frankfurt Airport, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs, is poised to pioneer Biometric Check-In, making it the first on the continent to do so. This digitalized procedure is officially termed biometric check-in.
While this technology has been available for a while, it was previously limited to passengers flying with Lufthansa and its affiliated Star Alliance partners on specific routes. However, the plan now is to broaden its application, offering it as an option to all travelers looking to expedite the check-in process and avoid long queues.
In essence, when you check in for your flight, you will have the option to use your face instead of your passport or identity card to verify your identity as the passenger. What once seemed like a trope from science fiction movies is rapidly becoming a reality.
To access this service, passengers will need to pre-register either through the Star Alliance biometric app or at the check-in kiosk using their biometric-enabled passports. The entire process takes just a few seconds.
Subsequently, when passing through the airport’s checkpoint gates, passengers will only need to have their faces scanned, eliminating the need to present traditional documentation.
As for concerns about privacy, the face recognition system, known as ‘Smart Path,’ has already undergone a trial phase, with 12,000 passengers participating. Pierre Dominique Prümm, Fraport Executive Board member responsible for infrastructure, stated, “Our goal is to equip at least 50 percent of all check-in machines, boarding pass control, and departure gates with this groundbreaking technology in the next few months,” as reported by Euronews.
Regarding personal data privacy, the company behind the technology, Sita, assures that all personal information will be deleted three hours after the flight’s departure. According to Sita, once introduced, 75% of travelers are open to embracing this new technology.
- Emirates adds another First Class experience with a new Home Check-in Service that offers customers the option to check in from home in a comfortable and convenient manner.
- Astana Airport signed a document on cooperation with the Swiss company SITA (Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques), which involves introducing Face ID technology.
