The busiest airport in Florida, Orlando International Airport, is slated to be the first U.S. airport to use biometrics at both the entry and exit for travelers crossing borders. The commitment was announced Thursday, June 21, by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.
CBP is testing a facial-recognition exit in 13 airports and arrival at 10 airports, but Orlando will be the first to implement both for international travel, according to Digital Trends. The biometric entry and exit uses facial recognition, as implementing cameras with these capabilities would have a minimal impact on existing airport security infrastructure. The system would verify the identities of passengers boarding and leaving international flights at the gates, in addition to passing through traditional airport security.
Comparison data is on-hand through the Department of Homeland Security. According to CBP, scanning faces and matching with a photo takes less than two seconds with a 99% accuracy rate.
“We are at a critical turning point in the implementation of a biometric entry-exit system, and we’ve found a path forward that transforms travel for all travelers,” CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said in a press release. “The valuable collaboration with stakeholder partners like GOAA has resulted in real momentum and it has brought us to where we are today, the first fully biometric entry-exit deployment at an airport.”