British Airways To Expand Boarding Gate Biometrics

British Airways is expanding testing of its biometric boarding gates in the U.S.

The airline began its testing last November in Los Angeles, specifically on passengers flying out of LAX on British Airways flights to Heathrow airport in London, according to Engadget.

Now, the testing will expand to Orlando International Airport for flights to Gatwick airport, as well as to JFK airport in New York and Miami International Airport for passengers flying in from Heathrow.

The technology used in the biometric screening is produced by SITA and uses facial identification tech similar to that used in smartphones.

This addition of biometrics doesn't eliminate the need for documents entirely, however. Travelers must still display a passport and boarding pass while going through the security process. But once at the gate, no documents are required. According to British Airways, they are now able to board 400 passengers in 22 minutes in Los Angeles.

British Airways isn't alone in their facial recognition endeavor, U.S. Customs is currently testing biometric facial recognition at airports across the U.S., and other airlines, including Delta and Jetblue, are running trials of their own.