KLM, Schiphol launch facial recognition airplane boarding test

Schiphol and KLM launched a boarding experiment using a special face recognizing door with which passengers can board a plane without having to show their passport and boarding pass more than once, Aviation Tribune reports.

The facial recognition door is installed at a selected gate in the airport. For this experiment, which will run for three months, passengers register at a kiosk in the waiting area near the gate. Registration involves a passenger's passport, boarding pass and face being scanned. The special door recognizes the passenger's face and the passenger can board the plane without having to show his or her passport or boarding pass again.

For privacy reasons all personal passenger information will be erased after the passenger boarded the plane. All data storage in the registration kiosk is erased every 10 hours.

With this experiment Schiphol and KLM want to find out more about facial recognition and how it can make the boarding process as quick and easy as possible. During the experiment researchers will look at the system's speed, reliability and user-friendliness.