US Airline Delta Is Testing Facial Recognition And Biometrics Based Bag Drop Technologies

Talking about reducing those check-in lines at the airport? American airline carrier Delta is unveiling kiosks that uses facial recognition technology to help you tag your own bags, pay the excess luggage fee if necessary and then out your bags on a conveyor belt.

The “$600,000 investment that allows customers to quickly, securely and easily check their own bags. One machine will be equipped to test facial recognition technology to match customers with their passport photos through identification verification, a first for U.S. carriers. We expect this investment and new process to save customers time,” said Gareth Joyce, Delta’s Senior Vice President – Airport Customer Service and Cargo. “And, since customers can operate the biometric-based bag drop machine independently, we see a future where Delta agents will be freed up to seek out travelers and deliver more proactive and thoughtful customer service.”

But this is for passengers with passports and for those who don’t have their passports on, they can still use the machine but will need staff to confirm their identities. Delta airlines will test the machines this summer at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

While Delta is definitely not the first to allow you check in at the airport, they could be the first to let you complete the process without the need for any human involvement.

To please privacy advocates, Delta says images won’t be stored in line with privacy laws.