BA to run two biometric-boarding trials at JFK

BA has invited two unnamed companies to do biometric self-boarding gate trials at New York JFK, building on existing pilot projects at Los Angeles LAX and Orlando. BA went live with a biometric boarding trial at LAX in December, as part of a wider project between SITA, technology providers VisionBox and US Customs and Border Protection. Other airlines are also involved in the LAX project. A second trial—this time with just SITA and CBP—went live in Orlando in January, covering all of BA’s departing flights from the US airport. Passengers do not need to show their passports or boarding cards to board, as the biometric gates use facial recognition. They are fully automated; airline staff simply oversee the system.<br/>