Facial recognition tech had 85% match rate
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expected to complete a 30-day test next month of the use of facial recognition technology to screen international travelers at Los Angeles International Airport.
But an audit by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General found that pilot programs to test the technology at nine airports last year had a combined match rate of only 85% — below the agency’s goal of a 97% to 100% match rate.
The Department of Homeland Security hopes to use facial recognition to better track and record the approximately 1 million foreign travelers who each year enter and exit the country, with about 300,000 traveling by air.
During the pilot programs at airports in Boston, Houston, New York and Atlanta, travelers were photographed as they prepared to board planes. The cameras used facial recognition technology to match up the faces of departing travelers with data collected by the federal government on each foreign national who enters the country.
When photos were taken of travelers whose images were already in the government system, the system matched the images 98% of the time, according to the audit. But airport screeners couldn’t always take photos of the passengers because of “poor network availability, a lack of dedicated staff and compressed boarding times due to flight delays,” according to the audit. As a result the overall “biometric confirmation” rate was 85%, the audit said.
The audit also blamed poor quality of digital images for difficulty matching travelers younger than 29 and older than 70. In addition, the system had more difficulty matching certain nationalities — specifically U.S. citizens, Mexicans and Canadians — because the government’s “digital gallery” had fewer photos of those nationalities than of other foreign travelers, the audit said.
Congress has set aside up to $1 billion from fees charged to foreign visitors to fund the creation of a biometric screening system. The audit said the Department of Homeland Security and the Customs and Border Protection agency concur with the recommendations of the Office of Inspector General.
American Airlines raises booze prices
A week after American Airlines raised its checked bag fees, the world’s largest carrier announced it will also hike the cost of beer, wine and spirits by $1.
Starting Oct. 1, the cost of a beer for passengers in the main cabin will rise to $8, while the prices of wine and other spirits will increase to $9, the airline said.
“Over the last few years, we’ve continued to improve the selections available on board with more craft beer choices, premium liquor and new wines,” American Airlines spokesman Curtis Blessing said.
Beer, wine and spirits are free for passengers who buy higher priced Main Cabin Extra seats and elite members of American Airlines’ loyalty reward program, AAdvantage.
The price increase comes after the Fort Worth-based carrier matched the bag fee hike of JetBlue and United Airlines. On Sept. 21, American Airlines began charging domestic travelers $30 for the first checked bag, up from $25, and $40 for the second bag, up from $35.
Airline industry experts have said they expected the airlines to boost a variety fees to compensate for higher fuel costs.
The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported this month that the U.S. airline industry — represented by the 21 biggest carriers — collected after-tax net profits of $3.4 billion in the April-throughJune period, down from $4.7 billion in the same period in 2017. Profits are being eaten away by higher expenses, including fuel costs that rose 34.5% in the same period, the report said.
Alaska Airlines tries virtual reality
If virtual reality goggles can let a wearer escape humdrum reality for a more visually exciting world, it is no wonder that airlines are beginning to offer VR entertainment on long-haul flights.
After all, what is more humdrum than a cramped airline seat and stale cabin air?
Alaska Airlines said it has become the first airline in North America to offer passengers VR entertainment that lets them watch 3-D and 360-degree movies using high-definition goggles. The system uses Bluetooth technology to free users from plugging wires into the plane’s entertainment system.
The bad news is that the Seattle-based carrier is offering the VR goggles and headset system only to first-class passengers and only on two routes, Seattle to Boston and Boston to San Diego.
Alaska Airlines began providing the VR systems through a partnership with SkyLights, an AmericanFrench company that has deployed the technology on airlines in Europe, including a French airline called XL Airways.
Another European VR company, Inflight VR, recently launched virtual reality entertainment systems for the leisure carrier Small Planet Airlines.
Those lucky few fliers who get to try out the VR system on Alaska Airlines can see several movies in 3-D, including “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” starring Frances McDormand; “Ready Player One,” directed by Steven Spielberg; and the animated film “Ferdinand.”
The system will be preloaded with short, 360degree films that the airline says “cover subjects including freediving, classical music and acrobatics.”