Airport World - Joe Kunzler
More biometrics are coming to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has now installed 36 Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) units at that airport which check one’s face against their identification card and flight status.
The new CAT security tools help remove the human element while not retaining photos to protect privacy. The CAT devices have a library of more than 2,500 types of identification at international levels.
Nonetheless, CATs do not replace the airline check-in processes. You still have to display your boarding pass at the gate before boarding your flight as the commercial flight is operated by a private enterprise versus the TSA operating as a governmental function. However, most airlines have apps, so you can check in landside or up to 24 hours before boarding time via a smartphone or a kiosk instead of with human assistance.
