Delta rolls out facial recognition at Atlanta airport

The way some frequent fliers pass through Atlanta is about to change, as Delta Air Lines rolls out a facial recognition pilot program in the domestic terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson International as early as next week.

It’s another expansion of biometrics, after Atlanta-based Delta rolled out facial recognition for international travelers at the airport in 2018.

The goal is to make the travel experience more convenient and “hands-free and touch-free,” said Greg Forbes, Delta’s managing director of airport experience. The shift to biometrics started years ago. “What COVID did was accelerate it,” he added.

However, some have raised privacy issues and other concerns as the use of facial recognition technology grows.

Delta plans to launch the pilot program as early as Nov. 3, pending Transportation Security Administration

approvals, and continue it until June 2022.

The airline plans to add facial recognition as an option for domestic travelers out of Atlanta who meet certain criteria: They have a passport, are members of the TSA’s PreCheck trusted traveler program, are Delta SkyMiles members with their passport information and Known Traveler Number in their profile, and check in via Delta’s app.

When such passengers arrive at the Atlanta airport, they can go to a new “PreCheck Express bag drop” room with facial recognition camera stations to print out bag tags and drop luggage on a conveyor belt on the lower level of Terminal South.

TSA has one facial recognition camera where pilot program participants can have their identify verified without having to pull out their ID or boarding pass.

Delta says many who would qualify are also Clear members, who use an iris scan or fingerprints to verify their identity.