Collins Aerospace and JetBlue Enhance Passenger Boarding Experience With Advanced Biometrics Screening

JetBlue is advancing the boarding process at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) with SelfPass™ — a biometric facial scanning process implemented by Collins Aerospace, in cooperation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Passengers using SelfPass, with fully integrated self-boarding gates, may board international flights through one gate in Terminal 5 and experience a more streamlined process. Boarding is performed in a matter of seconds and eliminates the need to present traditional boarding and identification documents.

With SelfPass, there is no pre-registration required. Air travelers simply step up to the camera for a facial match against their travel document — such as CBP photos previously loaded in the system — then proceed to board the aircraft.

“Biometric solutions are the future when it comes to improving the passenger experience at the airport, and JetBlue is playing a crucial role to make this transformation a reality,” said Christopher Forrest, vice president of Global Airport Systems for Collins Aerospace. “Not only are we reducing the amount of time it takes a passenger to move through the airport, but we’re also adding a heightened level of security.”

“The innovative use of biometrics for customer processing is driving the aviation industry forward and aligns with IATA’s One ID concept,” said Ian Deason, senior vice president of customer experience for JetBlue. “By working together with Collins Aerospace, we’re bringing JetBlue customers a personal, helpful and simple experience each time they fly.”

SelfPass doesn’t just benefit the passenger. It enables airports and airlines to implement and grow their biometric capabilities at various touchpoints by being uniquely scalable and hardware independent. By implementing a more efficient boarding process, airlines can improve on-time departures and increase passenger satisfaction.