Air Canada Launches Digital Facial Recognition Pilot

Air Canada has launched a digital facial recognition pilot for select flights from Vancouver to Winnipeg and for eligible customers at the Air Canada Café at Toronto Pearson International Airport, the company announced Tuesday. It is the first Canadian airline to offer facial recognition technology, according to the carrier, which plans to expand this option to select Canadian airports and Maple Leaf Lounges.

Eligible customers will receive an invitation to use the digital identification option and instructions on how to create their secure digital faceprint prior to arriving at the airport. Those who do not wish to use the service can continue to use a boarding pass and government-issued ID for a manual check and processing, and those entering the café can continue to have their boarding card scanned, according to Air Canada.

Digital identification is an enrollment feature on the Air Canada app. Biometric data is encrypted and stored only on the customer’s mobile phone, according to the carrier. Customers must provide additional consent for the data to be used day-of travel and will be retained only for up to 36 hours subject to Air Canada’s privacy and security standards.