British Airways Starts Scanning Faces to Enable Faster Boarding
- Technology initially deployed at gates for domestic flights
- System rolls out as laptops banned on some Middle East routes
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British Airways is rolling out technology that will allow passengers to go through boarding gates at its main London Heathrow Airport hub using facial recognition.
Biometric devices at the main security-screening area in Terminal 5 capture a traveler’s features along with the boarding pass, and then a facial scan at the gate verifies the person’s identity, allowing them to get on the plane without showing documents, BA said in a letter to staff. The system is designed to speed up boarding and reduce errors, it said.