Air Canada is starting to use facial recognition at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), making it the first Canadian airline to use this software in an attempt to make boarding an airplane easier.
The airline will add facial recognition to the gates in Vancouver on Tuesday December 3rd, and it will apply to most domestic flights. The system is voluntary, and people who want to use it will be able to upload a picture of their face in the Air Canada app. Then, at the gate, this new system will allow them to walk onto their flights without presenting any ID forums. You will also need to scan your passport in the app to enable this.
This program launched as a pilot in February of 2023. This option has been available for Maple Leaf lounge members in Calgary, Toronto and San Francisco. The Airline plans to add facial scanning to Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa in the near future.
Many U.S. Airlines already use facial biometrics, but Canada has been slow to adopt them due to concerns about privacy and ethics. Air Canada stresses that this program is completely voluntary and that customers retain control of their biometric data and it operates independently of any government programs like Nexus.
Image credit: Air Canada
Source: The Canadian Press, Travel and Tour World, Air Canada
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