Air Canada has launched a pilot project that
enables travellers to use facial recognition technology to confirm
their identification.
The system is designed to make the overall travel
and airport experience more seamless and enjoyable for customers,
whilst also assisting the airline and airport with security and
staffing issues.
Air Canada’s digital identification is now
available for customers departing from Vancouver International
Airport (YVR) when boarding select flights to Winnipeg, and for
eligible customers entering the Air Canada Caf at Toronto Pearson
International Airport (YYZ).
The national carrier plans to expand digital identification
to more airports and Maple Leaf Lounges in Canada as part of the trial
phase.
“Our government and Canadian airlines and airports
are eager to move forward with innovative solutions and
technologies to modernize the traveller journey in airports across
the country, which would enable a more seamless and efficient air
transportation system,” said Omar Alghabra, Minister of
Transport Government of Canada. “Air Canada’s pilot project will
speed up processes at YVR, and other airports where it’s
established, while respecting robust privacy measures and security
standards. This project has great potential in making gate
boarding easier and faster for Canadian passengers, while
maintaining strong safety measures.”
Customers eligible to utilize the Air Canada Caf
in Toronto and customers on select flights from Vancouver to
Winnipeg will receive an invitation to use the digital
identification option, and instructions on how to create their
secure digital faceprint prior to arriving at the airport.
Those who do not wish to utilize digital
identification may simply board as they currently do now by
presenting their boarding pass and government-issued photo ID for
manual ID check and processing.
Likewise, customers can
continue to scan their boarding cards manually as they do now to
enter the Air Canada Caf at Toronto Pearson.
Digital identification is a single enrollment
feature on the Air Canada app. Biometric data is encrypted and
stored only on the traveller’s mobile phone and they must provide
additional consent for the data to be used day of travel and that will
only be retained for up to 36 hours subject to Air Canada’s privacy and security standards.
“Many of our customers already utilize digital
credentials to simplify their daily activities such as unlocking
mobile phones, entering workplaces, verifying identification
during financial transactions and more,” said Craig Landry,
Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer at Air
Canada. “We are very excited to now take a leadership position in
Canada and test digital identification using facial recognition
technology to validate customer identification quickly, securely
and accurately at select airport touchpoints. Customers choosing to use
digital identification will benefit from a simplified and seamless
process at the gate and when entering our Maple Leaf Lounges.”
Air Canada’s digital identification is strictly an
optional, consent-based Air Canada program. It is not related to
any government-sponsored program like NEXUS, Global Entry or US
CBP Mobile Passport Control (MPC).
