Denver International Airport (DEN) has opened two security screening lanes in which eligible passengers can move through checkpoints using biometric facial recognition as their sole form of identification, becoming the latest U.S. airport where the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is trialing a PreCheck Touchless ID program.
TSA has been rolling out the pilot program across the U.S. over the summer, with 14 airports and four airlines now participating. Airlines taking part in the program include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
TSA said in an explanatory video on its website that there is “no need to show physical ID or a boarding pass. Just your face gets you through.” Instead of using a physical ID, such as a passport or driver’s license, passengers’ faces are photographed by TSA using biometric cameras.
To use the lanes, passengers must have an “active profile” with the airline on which they are traveling, according to TSA. Passengers also must already be members of TSA’s trusted traveler PreCheck program and upload valid passport information to an airline profile.
American noted a passenger must be part of its AAdvantage loyalty program to participate. Passengers must opt in to the PreCheck Touchless program in advance of arriving at the airport.
According to American, a participating airline at DEN, TSA compares the facial image to photos passengers “previously provided to the government, such as those in a passport, Global Entry or a visa card.”
TSA said the “images are not used for law enforcement, surveillance, nor shared with other entities,” adding the photo and data “are deleted within 24 hours of your scheduled flight departure.”
DEN CEO Phil Washington said the facial recognition ID trial adheres to “the highest levels of safety and security.”
The facial recognition lanes are different from the standard process at checkpoint entrances in which TSA takes photos of faces only to verify a physical ID in an interaction with a TSA agent.
American said it is working “in close collaboration with TSA, with a focus on hub airports.”
Airports where PreCheck Touchless checkpoint lanes are active include Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, DEN, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Newark, New York LaGuardia, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Reagan Washington National.
Passengers must carry a physical ID as a backup and “present it if asked by a TSA officer,” the agency said.
TSA’s facial recognition pilot program rollout comes as the agency is making changes at airport checkpoints, including no longer requiring passengers to remove shoes. The agency is also starting to roll out dedicated lanes for families traveling with children.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a recent press conference that her “goal would be that someday someone could walk into an airport, walk through a scanner and go right to their airplane.”
Listen as Aviation Week editors discuss U.S. airport security changes on the Window Seat Podcast.
