The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), unveiled a new biometric screening system that uses facial-recognition technology to streamline passenger verification and boarding on outbound international flights.
The new system, known as veriScan, was designed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s Office of Technology in response to a congressional mandate for CPB to implement biometric exit processes for commercial airline flights leaving the United States.
The new system has been tested by airlines serving Washington Dulles International Airport since July 2018, including United Airlines, Air France-KLM and Scandinavian Airlines, and is under review by American Airlines. The veriScan system will be available at all international gates at both Dulles International and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for airline use by November 2018.
“We have a great partner in the Airports Authority, whose forward-leaning approach to utilizing CBP’s verification system will enable international travelers at Dulles International Airport to experience a frictionless boarding process before the end of the year,” says CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan.
Using proprietary software loaded on a portable tablet, veriScan encrypts and sends high-resolution photos of passengers boarding international flights to the CBP Traveler Verification Service for nearly instant identity verification. When integrated with airline boarding systems, veriScan will further streamline and expedite the boarding process by eliminating the need for boarding passes.The entire veriScan screening process takes less than two seconds.
