HOW
BIOMETRICS
IS FAST-TRACKING
TRAVEL
BY AMY MUTSCHER & JONATHAN HERMANN
A
picture may be worth a thousand
words, but how much is a digitalized
picture of your face worth to airlines
around the world? That’s the billion
dollar question as more and more
airlines and other travel companies are
implementing biometric technology
to expedite transit time. Customers
are taking full advantage of these
programs—such as CLEAR—happy to
digitize their unique features in order
to move swiftly through the airport.
As a result, suppliers are expanding
biometric travel solutions even further
in the hopes of attracting loyal clients.
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But what exactly is biometrics? That
broad term can refer to any form of
body measurement that is used for
authentication purposes, such as a
fingerprint, face scan or even your iris.
Armed with this information, airlines
and hotels can speed up various
segments of your journey—from
boarding planes, checking in to hotels,
even crossing borders—making travel
faster and safer for all. Here’s how
this new technology is currently being
implemented both in the United States
and abroad.