the future of flying
What if all it took to get through TSA security was your fingerprint?
The TSA has begun testing the use of fingerprints as proof of identification and boarding pass at two airports, in Atlanta and Denver, Fast Company reports. The program, which is entirely voluntarily, allows TSA PreCheck members to use the lines of their finger pads to coast through security at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Denver International Airport.
"In the long term, this technology has the potential to eliminate the need for a boarding pass and ID altogether," the TSA writes. But during the opt-in testing period, the TSA will still need to subject willingly fingerprinted passengers to "the standard ticket document checking process of showing their boarding pass and identification document."
Can't quite wrap your head around using your hand as ID? The fingerprint system would make passing through TSA security look something like this:
A post shared by TSA (@tsa) on Jun 13, 2017 at 11:03am PDT
If you are uncomfortable with the TSA having your fingerprints on file, you might not have a choice forever — biometric IDs and boarding passes seem to be the way of the future. JetBlue is already testing using passengers' faces as boarding passes.
And for anyone with fingerprinting FOMO who has no plans to travel through Atlanta or Denver anytime soon — be patient. The TSA writes that it "will analyze the data collected during the pilot for potential implementation at other U.S. airports in the future."