JetBlue's New "Self-Boarding" Technology Will Let You Board a Plane Using a Selfie

JetBlue has announced that it will soon allow customers to board flights using selfies. The airline has teamed up with the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and aviation IT company, SITA, to utilize facial recognition technology to verify a passenger’s identity with their boarding pass — a first. More precisely, a customer will have his or her photo captured and then the image will synchronize with that person’s passport, visa or immigration documents. During the process, a customer’s flight itinerary will be confirmed. The technology is aptly called “self-boarding.”

“This biometric self-boarding program for JetBlue and the CBP is designed to be easy to use. What we want to deliver is a secure and seamless passenger experience,” said Jim Peters, chief technology officer at SITA, as per Travel and Leisure. “This is the first integration of biometric authorization by the CBP with an airline and may prove to be a solution that will be quick and easy to roll out across U.S. airports.”

Moreover, JetBlue employees will receive iPad Minis to assist with the check-in process while interacting with customers. “Self-boarding” will roll out sometime in June, but it will be exclusive to flights from Boston’s Logan International Airport to Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba.

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