Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) announced today its partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in using facial recognition technology to process arriving international travelers. SJC is the first west coast airport to commit to processing all arriving and departing international travelers with facial biometrics and began the enhanced entry process on June 25, 2018. SJC plans to implement biometrics for all departing travelers at seven gates in the fall, as part of the biometric exit mandate.
“The use of biometrics technology will help cut down wait times and enhance the overall experience for our international travelers, especially as we continue to see unprecedented growth at SJC,” said Mayor Sam Liccardo.
SJC is one of a few early adopter airports to launch the use of facial recognition technology to expedite the entry inspection process of all arriving international passengers. The new, simplified arrival process enables increased security and faster throughput.
“After a smooth and effortless flight, the biometric entry allows our passengers a hassle-free entry at SJC … By combining security with speed and ease of entry, the biometric entry is in line with ANA’s mission of having a foundation of security and reliability,” said Tomomichi Saito, ANA SJC/SFO vice president and general manager.
As part of its innovation efforts, CBP built a facial biometric matching service to support airport and airline stakeholder integration for biometric exit, entry and other passenger services. Facial comparison technology is used because it seamlessly integrates into the airport boarding process and is minimally disruptive to the flow of travel.
Additional details about CBP’s biometric entry/exit program are available on the CBP website: cbp.gov/travel/biometrics
