Passports to be replaced with facial recognition technology at major airport

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Physical passports and boarding passes could go the way of smoking sections on airplanes thanks to biometric technology.

What happened: Next year, Singapore’s Changi Airport — ranked among the world’s best — will roll out a biometric system that lets travellers take off without having to flash their passports. The change will streamline operations as the airport welcomes more jet setters.

Zoom out: Airports and airlines worldwide are experimenting with biometric IDs.

Since 2018, “Smart Gates” at Dubai International have been verifying identities, while travel hubs like Tokyo, Hong Kong, and London all have some facial recognition tech.

In the US, major airlines American, Delta, and United, as well as the TSA, have all been testing out biometric check-in options at certain airports.

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In Canada: Air Canada began a pilot program this year where passengers on certain flights between Winnipeg and Vancouver could use a “digital faceprint” instead of a boarding pass.

Why it matters: Biometric IDs promise to trim times spent for the most headache-inducing parts of air travel, like bag drops and boarding, making the flying experience more efficient. Faster processing could also help improve Canadian airlines’ dismal on-time performance.

Delta Airlines director Greg Forbes claims that using biometrics can reduce bag drop times from four minutes down to just 30 seconds.

Yes, but: The aviation industry is a prime target for cybercrime (Air Canada faced a cyberattack literally yesterday), so if handing over vital biometric data just to have extra time to idly browse Relay doesn’t sound like a good deal to you, we get it.

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