Delta to test facial-recognition tech on new self-service bag drop

A new-age technology that would identify passengers by scanning their faces is set for a test this summer at a major U.S. airport.

Delta will use facial-recognition technology as it tests new self-service bag drop stations at its second-busiest hub in Minnesota.

The face-scanning station, which Delta says would be the first biometric-based bag drop system in the United States, would attempt to verify fliers’ identities by matching faces to their passport photos when they check bags at the self-service belt.

If successful, passengers using biometric-enabled self-check-in and the self-service bag drops could proceed to security all without interacting with a Delta agent.

Gareth Joyce, Delta’s SVP - Airport Customer Service and Cargo, called the $600,000 initiative "the next step in curating an airport experience that integrates thoughtful innovation from start to finish."

“We expect this investment and new process to save customers time,” Joyce added in a statement. “And, since customers can operate the biometric-based bag drop machine independently, we see a future where Delta agents will be freed up to seek out travelers and deliver more proactive and thoughtful customer service.”

The effort is part of a broader roll-out of the bag drop machines at Minneapolis/St. Paul, where four such stations are being installed by Delta on a trial basis.

An update to the Minneapolis/St. Paul check-in lobby provided the impetus to test the new machines, including the one enabled with face-scanning capabilities. Delta says it’s spending $600,000 on the initiative.

Once the machines go live, Delta says it will evaluate customer feedback from the bag-drop trial “to ensure that this lobby enhancement improves the overall customer experience.”

Delta touted the bag drops as a way to speed up passenger queues. “Studies have found that self-service bag drops have the potential to process twice as many customers per hour,” the airline said in announcing the installation of the machines at Minneapolis/St. Paul.

The bag drops are aimed at passengers checking in via Delta’s self-service check-in kiosks. The kiosk will print a bag tag that customers will affix to their luggage that’s being checked. Fliers then proceed to the bag-drop station with their luggage.

At the three stations without the biometric capability, an agent must verify a customer’s identity before the automated bag drop will accept the checked luggage.That's a similar set-up to other airlines that allow passengers to print boarding tags from check-in kiosks.

However, at Delta's machine equipped with the facial-recognition technology, the bag drop station will attempt to verify the customer’s identity without the assistance of airline personnel. Customers scan their passports at the machine, which in turn will take an image of customers' faces to try to confirm the person matches the information on the passport.

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At all four bag drops, fliers leave their bags on the automated luggage belt once their identities are confirmed. The stations will weigh the bags and accept credit-card payments for any fees assessed to check the luggage. Once that’s done, the belt then takes the luggage off for security checks and to be loaded into the plane.

So far, the face-scan technology is only enabled for fliers with passports. Customers using other forms of ID will have to use one of the three other self-service machines – the ones that require an agent to confirm their identity – if they wish to use the self-check option for their luggage.

Delta did not detail the exact launch date for the new biometric-enhanced bag drop, but -- if successful -- it could pave the way for an expansion the technology to other airports.

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