Delta Expands Facial Recognition to Domestic Flights in Atlanta

Delta Air Lines will expand its facial recognition program to domestic flights operating at its home hub at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper.

Delta has used facial recognition at Hartsfield for international passengers since 2018.

The program allows passengers who qualify to go through security and board their flights without showing identification or boarding passes.

Now, domestic passengers with passports who are Delta SkyMiles frequent fliers, as well as members of the Transportation Security Administration’s trusted traveler program PreCheck, are eligible to use facial recognition.

Delta says its aim is to turn security and check-in into “seamless experiences,” and brings the airline “one step closer to achieving our vision of creating a more personalized and fully connected travel journey,” according to a written statement from Byron Merritt, the company’s vice president of brand experience design.

Facial recognition software is being used and more and more. In fact, Disney World in March of this year began testing facial recognition.

Delta first launched the use of facial recognition for domestic flights at its Detroit hub earlier this year. Airline executives plan to roll it out to other hubs next year.

But the technology is controversial, as privacy rights advocates have raised concerns.

Delta says it is an ‘opt-in’ program only and passengers who declined to use facial recognition can go through the regular security process.