British Airways trials technology at US Airports

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British Airways is trialling biometric technology to speed up boarding and arrivals processes in Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami and New York.

That’s in partnership with the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, US Customs and Border Protection, and technology partner SITA.

BA is the first and only airline to use this particular technology to board international flights.

Customers in Orlando are joining those flying with BA from Los Angeles who have been using the boarding process since November.

The gates at Los Angeles Airport, used by BA, have resulted in the airline boarding more than 400 customers in only 22 minutes – less than half the time it takes when not using this technology.

The biometric boarding gates remove the need for travellers to present their boarding pass and passport at the departure gate, simplifying and speeding up boarding.

Customers simply look into a camera prior to boarding, wait for their biometric data to be verified, and walk onto the aircraft. ­

Similar to facial identification built into mobile phones, the biometric e-Gates use high-definition camera technology and allow customers to pass through by recognising their unique facial features and matching them with the passport, visa or immigration photos.

Two biometric gates have been installed on one stand at Orlando International Airport and during the trial, BA customers flying on the daily BA2036 flight to Gatwick are able to use the new technology.

The biometric boarding trials in Orlando and Los Angeles add to technology already in use by BA on its domestic UK flights from its hub at Heathrow’s Terminal 5.