Your Face is Your Boarding Pass: JetBlue introduces its first integrated biometric self-boarding gate at New York’s JFK

JetBlue Airways, in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), today announced the roll-out of its first fully-integrated biometric self-boarding gate at New York’s John F.Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Customers flying to select international destinations from Terminal 5 at New York-JFK can now board even faster with a dual lane biometric self-boarding gate, which uses facial recognition technology to verify travelers with a quick photo capture.

Above Photo: JetBlue was the first airline to incorporate its own biometric technology with CBP’s facial recognition matching system to verify passengers exiting the U.S.  A pilot program using the technology was launched in May 2017 at Logan International Airport in Boston. Photo by Zack Caplan

JetBlue’s new biometric self-boarding gate comes on the heels of the airline’s successful biometric boarding trials at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and New York-JFK. This week, JetBlue also became the first airline to partner with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to launch a one-step biometric boarding experience for customers flying to Nassau, Bahamas (NAS) from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

Above Photo: As part of CBP’s one-to-one biometric facial recognition testing on inbound, international flights, a traveler has his photo taken and compared against his passport photo to confirm his identity at Dulles Airport. Photo by Glenn Fawcett

Since the program’s launch in 2017, more than 50,000 customers have participated in biometric boarding on 500+ flights across all four cities. There is no pre-registration required. Customers can simply step up to the camera for a photo match and make their way onto the aircraft.

“The success of JetBlue’s biometric boarding program is a testament to the airline’s ongoing work to create a personal, helpful and simple experience,” said Ian Deason, senior vice president of customer experience, JetBlue. “The boarding touchpoint is an area that needs innovation and we feel biometrics will change the future of air travel as we look to create a more seamless journey throughout the airport.”

This latest biometric enhancement complements JetBlue’s existing self-service efforts, including self-service lobbies with interactive kiosks that feature self-bag tag and self-bag drop capabilities. The airline plans to expand its biometric boarding program to more international flights from New York-JFK, Boston and Fort Lauderdale, and expects to pilot a biometric bag drop station at New York-JFK early next year.

All images by CBP and jetBlue.