American Airlines testing face-scanning at DFW Airport

June 22, 2022 GMT

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — American Airlines said Wednesday that customers with PreCheck can go through security checkpoints at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport with a face scan and phone app instead of showing their driver’s license or passport.

The airline said that it intends to expand the test, which started Wednesday, to airports in Miami, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere later this year.

American is portraying the service as a convenience factor that will help passengers get through security checkpoints more quickly. Privacy experts have expressed concern about personal information that people volunteer for a convenience benefit, and how that information is used and stored.

At DFW Airport, passengers will need PreCheck, the expedited-screening service sold by the Transportation Security Administration, and an American Airlines mobile app to use the facial-recognition technology.

Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways have used biometric technology for boarding at other airports.