American Airlines has teamed up with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to launch TSA PreCheck, a mobile identity verification process that allows passengers to breeze through the airport.
The process has been rolled out at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and American Airlines AAdvantage members who are enrolled in TSA PreCheck can use their American Airlines Mobile ID at TSA PreCheck checkpoints for identity verification. There are plans to deploy at select TSA PreCheck checkpoints at Miami International Airport (MIA), Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) and more later this year.
Creating and storing the American Airlines Mobile ID is simple. Prior to travel, American Airlines customers with TSA PreCheck who choose to participate in this program need to download the Airside Digital Identity App on an iOS or Android device and take a photo of their face. They will then scan their driver’s license or passport with the app. Drivers licenses from states that are part of the AAMVA DLDV program and U.S. passports are eligible. They will then enter their American Airlines AAdvantage number.
The app will verify the customers’ information using mobile ID technology powered by Thales to compare against each state’s Department of Motor Vehicles records or the passport’s embedded NFC chip. It will store the customer’s American Airlines Mobile ID on their mobile device until they choose where and when to share it. As they go through security, customers will present a QR code on their phone and consent to share their American Airlines Mobile ID with TSA. After sharing their Mobile ID, customers are required to look into a camera at the TSA PreCheck checkpoint. TSA’s computer system will match the customer’s encrypted image against their American Airlines Mobile ID. The entire process at the airport typically takes less than five seconds.
Once verified, TSA erases the encrypted digital ID from its checkpoint readers and customers retain their digital ID on their device until they are ready to use it at another waypoint, such as an airport lounge.
In the near future, the airline will roll out similar technology to additional kiosks, bag check and domestic boarding gates. Customers can already verify their identities through facial matching provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at several international boarding gates.
For more information, visit www.aa.com.
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