Delta and TSA Launch New Biometric ‘Digital Identity Experience’ at Atlanta Hub

(by Allison Fox | Yahoo News) – The airline is implementing a “digital identity experience” at its hub in Atlanta, offering customers with TSA PreCheck and a Delta SkyMiles number the chance to pass through security and board their flight without having to pull out a boarding pass or their ID.

The Delta TSA digital id

Delta started trialing the technology for international travel more than five years ago and it was first rolled out in Detroit earlier this year for domestic flights. In 2018, the airline launched the first fully biometric terminal in Atlanta.

“The exclusive expansion of digital identity moves Delta one step closer to achieving our vision of creating a more personalized and fully connected travel journey,” Byron Merritt, Delta’s vice president of brand experience design, said in a statement. “Our goal in turning pivotal moments like security and check-in into seamless experiences is to give time and focus back to the moments customers enjoy. Innovations like digital identity are implemented with the intention to transform the cohesive travel experience into a journey that our customers can truly look forward to.”

Beyond seamlessly getting through security checkpoints, facial recognition technology can also be used to check a bag.

To utilize the technology, customers must store their passport information and either TSA PreCheck or Global Entry Known Traveler Number in their SkyMiles profile in Delta’s app and then opt-in at check-in. When customers go to pass through security, their image is taken, encrypted, and sent to U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s facial biometric matching service, according to the airline.

Delta said participating in the program is voluntary and the airline does not save or store any biometric data. Read Full Article >