Vision-Box, a developer of automated border control solutions, has partnered with British Airways (BA) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to trial facial recognition technology at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in California.
BA passengers, bound for London Heathrow Airport, have their photo captured by the e-Gate system, which is then sent to CBP to match against the digital photo captured during the initial immigration process.
The Vision-Box e-Gates have been installed at Gates 152, 154 and 156 in the Tom Bradley International Terminal, with plans for additional airlines to test the technology in the near future. BA is the first airline at LAX to test the one-step, contactless process, which relies on the facial recognition capabilities of the system alone, rather than being coupled with a boarding pass.
Gabriel Eshaghian, airport commissioner, Los Angeles, said, “Biometric boarding, where a passenger’s face is their boarding pass, merges two of our highest priorities – improving the guest experience and enhancing security and safety for all those who travel through or work at LAX.
“These biometric boarding gates are one more way in which LAX is leading the pack, embracing and implementing innovative technology that will help create the world-class airport that Los Angeles deserves.”
Justin Erbacci, deputy executive director – chief innovation and technology officer, Los Angeles World Airports, the airport operator, said, “These e-Gates use emerging technology to enable a faster and easier boarding process for passengers while at the same time furthering the mandate of the CBP to safeguard our borders and protect the public from dangerous people and materials. LAX is proud to be the first location in the USA to pilot this unique, paperless, biometric boarding process.”
Raoul Cooper, airport transformation design manager, British Airways, said, “At the heart of our operation will always be our frontline colleagues and we know that frequent flyers want to travel quickly and easily through the airport – and benefit from the advantages of self-serve technology.
“Our aim is for customers to have a seamless experience when they travel with us, and we want to put our customers in complete control of their own journey. This step forward to modernize our operation is a first in the industry, and we will continue to work with airports around the world to evolve this technology, and revolutionize the way in which people travel.”