A dedicated lane is available for passengers checking in using facial recognition on departure from London. — AFP Relaxnews
The international high-speed rail service, Eurostar, is now allowing some of its passengers to verify their identity using facial recognition when boarding a train from London.
This facial biometric check-in system, called SmartCheck, enables contactless check-in when boarding the Eurostar at London St Pancras International Station. Its aim is to provide faster, smoother passenger check-in, although for the time being, only Business Premier passengers or Carte Blanche holders can benefit from this service, which can be accessed via the iProov.me application (available on Google Play and the App Store).
Provided by iProov, SmartCheck helps passengers save time and avoid queues by pre-registering their ticket, passport and face to the app via their smartphone. Among other benefits, these passengers undergo just one passport check instead of two on departure.
When checking in, they benefit from a dedicated SmartCheck lane with its own facial biometric checkpoint, which scans their face to verify their identity. On the other hand, they cannot escape baggage scans and passport checks at French border control, which must be followed like for any other passenger.
Note that this sensitive data is stored on the traveler's phone and is encrypted during control procedures. The shared information is then deleted from servers after 48 hours.
The rollout of this technology, which began this week, may be extended to all passengers if successful, as part of a plan to simplify passenger flows. In the future, this type of identity verification could also be deployed in stadiums and concert venues.
This is the first time that facial recognition has been used in a station, although it is already being tested in many airports, including at Paris-Orly, for certain Air Caraïbes and French Bee flights. – AFP Relaxnews
Unlock 30% Savings on Ad-Free Access Now!
