Biometrics will be used at all international flights at Orlando Airport by the end of the year. Source: SITALast week, Frost & Sullivan released a report on new technologies coming to airports, highlighting that to improve both passenger safety and comfort, many facilities are turning to biometrics and blockchain.
Now, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) is partnering with SITA for biometric exit at the Orlando International Airport. SITA said the airport is the first in the U.S. to fully deploy the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Biometric Entry and Exit Program and in the next few months it will integrate its Smart Path biometric technology at the airport’s 30 international boarding gates.
Passengers will expect to enjoy 100 percent biometric boarding for international flights at Orlando Airport by October, and in the next four months SITA will integrate Smart Path at 64 boarding lanes at 30 boarding gates across the airport.
Earlier this year, SITA and GOAA worked with British Airways and the CBP to incorporate the U.S. biometric departure check for British Airways’ customers. That trial prompted the airport-wide implementation of the technology. The biometric screening speeds up the boarding process while implementing new secure biometric exit checks. Passengers just need to look at the camera, without having to present boarding passes or passports.
“Our decision to implement biometric exit checks across the whole airport follows a hugely successful live trial,” said John Newsome, chief information officer at GOAA. “The innovative boarding process we tested is really popular with passengers. They simply look at the camera and within seconds the gate opens and they can board the flight. It is easy, fast and most importantly, secure. The solution works on common-use boarding gates and can be easily used by the many international airlines that we serve at MCO.”
