Frankfurt Airport is expanding the availability of biometric security and check-in services to all the airlines operating at the travel hub from November 2023, making it the first European airport to implement biometric touchpoints for all airline passengers.
Using SITA’s Smart Path biometric solution, the passengers’ faces become their boarding passes. All travellers can register for biometric identification using designated machines in the terminal. The registration is valid only for the day of travel enrolment and the flight. Passengers travelling on Star Alliance airlines who are members of the Miles & More program can also sign up in the “Star Biometric Hub” via the Miles & More app. Registering this way means that they can use biometric identification for all future Lufthansa Group passenger flights.
Regardless of the method, the whole registration process only takes a few seconds. Once registered, passengers pass through the facial recognition-equipped checkpoints without showing any physical documents.
We are the first European airport to offer all passengers a contactless and convenient passenger journey using biometrics. Our goal for the coming months is to equip at least 50% of all check-in kiosks, pre-security and boarding gates with the new and pioneering technology.
Dr. Pierre Dominique Prümm, Fraport AG’s Executive Director Aviation and Infrastructure
The new technology is already in use by more than 12,000 passengers at check-in, boarding pass control and boarding gates. And while the airport is continuously incorporating biometric technology into further travel process stages, it ensures passengers may still opt to travel the “old” way by showing a ticket and official ID.
“We have seen that the more we can automate the passenger journey in the airport, the better the experience”, said SITA CEO David Lavorel. “Biometric touchpoints significantly speed up the mandatory steps in the airport, giving passengers more time to relax before the flight rather than waiting in line. We know from our research that where biometrics are introduced, more than 75% of passengers will gladly use them. Therefore, we are pleased to bring the benefits of a faster airport journey to Frankfurt Airport.”
SITA’s biometric solution leverages the “NEC I:Delight” digital identity management platform, ranked the world’s most accurate face recognition technology in vendor tests conducted by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This means passengers who have opted to use the service can be identified quickly and accurately, even on the move.
