American Airlines Launches Touchless ID at Three More Airports

After finally debuting at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) earlier this week, American Airlines has launched its Touchless ID lanes at a handful of additional airports, with more to come soon.

In addition to Washington Reagan, American now has its Touchless ID lanes at LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), and Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). The airline said this week that more will be added “in the coming months…with a focus on hub airports.”

The lanes allow eligible travelers (those who are part of American’s AAdvantage program and have TSA PreCheck or another Known Traveler number) to pass through airport security using facial recognition technology, eliminating the need to present a physical ID. Travelers can easily opt-in through the AAdvantage app, by registering their Known Traveler number and then navigating to the “information and password” section.

There, travelers can simply check the box for Touchless ID and the next time they check in, they’ll have the Touchless ID logo on their boarding pass, which will allow them access to the lanes.

The lanes are often the fastest option at TSA checkpoints, reducing the average transaction time with an agent from 20–25 seconds to just 7–10 seconds, according to Delta Air Lines, which was one of the first U.S. airlines to launch the lanes last year.

“We’re examining every aspect of the customer experience,” said Heather Garboden, American’s Chief Customer Officer. “TSA Precheck^® Touchless ID helps streamline our customers’ travel experience and makes travel with us even more enjoyable. We look forward to it becoming available to even more customers in the coming months.”