TSA PreCheck Touchless ID. Photo: Shutterstock Charlotte Douglas International Airport is evaluating a biometric screening system that could become a permanent feature of its security checkpoints.
The airport, working with the Transportation Security Administration, has installed eight e-Gates at Checkpoint 2 that use facial recognition technology to verify the identities of TSA PreCheck and TSA PreCheck Touchless ID passengers.
Charlotte Douglas Airport. Photo: CLS Digital Arts / Shutterstock.comAfter scanning an identification document or passport, travelers have their photo taken by the system, which compares the image with the information provided before granting access to the checkpoint. Touchless ID users can simply have their photo taken, as their passport details are already stored through participating airline programs.
The assessment started in May and is scheduled to continue through July.
CLT Federal Security Director Greg Hawko praised the technology's early performance.
"We hope it's here forever because our team loves it, the passengers love it, and it gives us an opportunity to make the process more streamlined," he said.
Charlotte's airport experiences a significant increase in traffic during the summer travel season, with passenger numbers climbing from roughly 35,000 per day to as many as 44,000 on peak days.
Airport officials say each passenger can move through the checkpoint approximately three seconds faster using the new gates. While that may seem minor, the time savings add up across tens of thousands of travelers while allowing TSA officers to focus on other critical screening duties.