Lufthansa to Expand Biometric Boarding to U.S. Airports
by Barbara Peterson /
Lufthansa is pushing ahead with plans to install biometric boarding gates at U.S. airports it serves, following a successful trial of the new technology last year at Los Angeles International Airport.
According to the German flag carrier, a test run at that airport was so successful that the system will now be in place at that gateway indefinitely and will set the stage for expansion to other international hubs.
Among other benefits, the system stands to “significantly speed up airplane boarding,” Lufthansa said, noting that during the trial it was able to board an Airbus A380, the world’s largest commercial jet, in roughly 20 minutes.
The system works like this: as passengers approach boarding gates, facial recognition cameras capture their images, which are then sent to a Customs and Border Protection database for immediate verification. If the passenger’s identity is confirmed, no boarding pass is required, and they can simply walk onto the plane without needing to show a boarding pass.