The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has officially launched a new program that is helping travelers with PreCheck get through airport security screening even faster with the help of facial recognition technology.
TSA PreCheck Touchless ID utilizes facial comparison technology for faster, more secure identity verification. The service is now available at 15 airports in the United States, but TSA is looking to expand it to additional airports.
Travelers who choose to opt in to the program do not need to present a physical ID card or boarding pass during their security screening. Instead, travelers can pre-register their identification with participating airlines so that they can get through security with just their face.
TSA officers now use biometric cameras to verify a traveler’s identity, allowing them to get through security 2.5 times faster than using TSA’s normal systems.
“That touchless identity system is better because of the biometric matching,” David Patrick, the assistant administrator for TSA’s Requirements and Capabilities Analysis function, said on Thursday during an event hosted by GovExec.
“[It’s] better because you’re able to pre-stage someone working with their airline or airport,” Patrick said. “We have a valid insurance that that person is who they say they are when they walk up because of the biometrics – and it’s doing it 2.5 times the speed of our regular systems.”
It’s worth noting that passengers who opt in to the TSA PreCheck Touchless ID program must carry a physical ID on them as a form of backup identification.
Patrick said that the current participating airlines are American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Alaska Airlines. PreCheck passengers who wish to participate in the new touchless identity service can opt in via their profile with a participating airline.
A full list of the 15 participating airports can be found here.
Patrick said that TSA is looking to expand the service to other airports, as well as looking into other technologies to further speed airport security such as “automated gating systems.” He said an automated gating system could allow a passenger to scan their identity document themselves or utilize the touchless identity system.
He also said that TSA is working with states to expand the use of digital IDs in airports, noting that they’re faster and more secure.
“They’re faster, they have excellent privacy factors on them, and they’re actually easier to use for the public because you’re used to using your cellphone in everything you do,” Patrick said, adding, “Whether I tap it at the grocery store or I tap it at the airport to get through, your public is trained to do that, and it’s easy to do for them. That gives a better sense of privacy, a better sense of security, and a better process to get through at the airport. That’s more efficient, more effective.”
“As people who deal with 3 million potential passengers a day, we’ve got to think about throughput,” he said.