A new identification method at some Canadian airports
Air Canada launches digital identification via facial recognition at some Canadian airports, a first for an airline.
Certain Air Canada customers travelling to Vancouver and Toronto Pearson airports will be the first to try out this new digital identification method as part of a pilot project. This new process will improve and facilitate passengers’ experience at the airport, as they will not need to present their identity document to board or access the company’s lounges. Their mobile device will prove the person’s identity.
“Many users are familiar with digital IDs to simplify their day-to-day activities, such as unlocking their cell phone, accessing the workplace and verifying their identity during a transaction. We are very pleased to affirm our leadership position in Canada and to trial digital identification using facial recognition technology to validate customer identity quickly, securely and accurately at certain moments of customer interaction at the airport. Participation in digital identification is voluntary. Customers who wish to take part will benefit from a simplified, hassle-free process at the boarding gate or lounge entrance”, said Craig Landry, Air Canada’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Digital identification at the airport takes just a few simple steps from the company’s mobile application:
- Take a photo of your passport
- Passport chip scanning (NFC)
- Taking a selfie
If the face on the passport and the face in the selfie match, the airline app will create the person’s digital profile and send it to their mobile phone. The profile will consist of the selfie combined with a unique identification code and some details about the passport. The biometric data related to facial recognition, however, will be deleted and there will be no trace of them in the digital profile created. At this point, to identify yourself at check-in or to access an airport lounge, you will simply need to go to the digital identification points, where automatic facial recognition will be performed, without needing to show any paper documents.
