Boarding passes could soon be a thing of the past, with Air New Zealand customers some of the first to experience biometric verification at the boarding gate after a successful trial at Los Angeles Airport last week.
It's part of the airline's plan to make travel easier for its passengers without the need to scan passports and boarding passes.
When entering the US, customers can register with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) using their biometric information.
Then by using the automated airport kiosks, the same data is used to verify their identity when boarding.
Air New Zealand says this information is secured by CBP and not directly available to them or any airline using the service.
Air New Zealand's chief digital officer Nikhil Ravishankar says this technology will speed up the boarding process, making it a smooth experience for customers and airport staff.
“We’ve heard from customers that they want their airport experience to be hassle-free and technology is a key enabler of that. According to IATA, more than 75 percent of customers see huge value in biometric verification and want to use it instead of passports and boarding passes."
“The feedback from the more than 1000 customers who have used this technology to board our flights has been really positive," Ravishankar said.
Air New Zealand says they are in talks with people both nationally and internationally to use biometric technology throughout the whole airport process.
Ravishankar said “Contactless technology changes are coming thick and fast and we’re continuing to learn and adapt to new innovations that will make travel easier. In the new travel era, we need simplicity not complexity.”
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