In 2025, the world's first airport to mandate biometric boarding will be established.

• By 2025, every airport identification checkpoint at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi will have biometric sensors as part of the Smart Travel Project.
• Efforts for widespread biometric implementation in the U.S. have been hindered by privacy concerns, but Elon Musk believes the country needs to "catch up."

By 2025, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi will have biometric sensors at every identification checkpoint, offering a smart travel experience for passengers.

Airport security and travel experts have generally cheered the move.

"Abu Dhabi is boldly moving forward in adopting facial recognition as the means to let travelers into their system, and I commend them for doing it," said Sheldon Jacobson, an engineering and computer science professor at the University of Illinois. Jacobson has been studying airport security since the 1990s and helped the TSA develop its pre-screening program, which allows some travelers in the U.S. to skip the checkpoints. "Facial recognition is the future, and we will start to get intelligent with airport security and focus on the traveler rather than the items they bring. By doing that, you create a different paradigm," Jacobson said. "What they are doing in Abu Dhabi is just the beginning, but it has to start somewhere."

The idea of going completely paperless from the parking garage to your seat-back tray table can be unsettling to some, as they worry about the possibility of a Crowdstrike-like outage that could halt electronic boarding systems and bring travel to a standstill. However, Jacobson believes that such events are extremely rare, and even if the system were to shut down entirely due to an outage, the long-term benefits of a biometric travel experience would still outweigh the costs.

The Biometric Smart Travel project at Zayed International Airport is a partnership with the government that aims to enhance the travel experience and ensure high levels of security and safety. The airport collects biometrics from any traveler arriving in the UAE for the first time and uses this database to verify passengers passing checkpoints. The airport did not respond to a request for comment on its plans.

Jacobson claims that the TSA typically moves slowly and incrementally on changes, while the UAE's political system enables faster implementation of programs. As a result, an all-encompassing collection of biometric data is unlikely to be accepted in the U.S., at least not currently. Jacobson also notes that there is significant opposition whenever new biometric programs are introduced.

Biometrics usage at airports is becoming more accepted by the U.S. public.

A survey by J.D. Power and Associates found that 53% of respondents at major U.S. airports are in favor of biometric security checks or would use them, while 12% have privacy concerns about biometrics.

What information is required during the biometric enrollment process, and will biometric security measures be used to monitor movements at the airport or will biometric data be utilized beyond its boundaries?

J.D. Power's senior managing director of travel, hospitality, and retail, Mike Taylor, suggests that airports should establish clear guidelines and processes and inform travelers of the technology's potential uses to increase its adoption and benefit both airports and travelers.

Shawn DuBravac, a futurist and author of "Digital Destiny," believes that biometrics will revolutionize travel. Although biometric sensors have already been used to simplify travel, he believes that achieving a completely paperless travel experience by next year is an ambitious goal.

Biometrics will likely be used in airports in the future, according to travel veterans. DuBravac views biometrics as a way to enhance the human element at U.S. airports.

By automating routine processes, personnel can focus on providing higher levels of customer service, assisting travelers with special needs, and ensuring an efficient and welcoming overall passenger experience.

Elon Musk praised Zayed's innovation by commenting on X in response to a video of a traveler effortlessly checking in at the Abu Dhabi airport, emphasizing that the U.S. needs to improve its own check-in process.

Irina Tsukerman, a national security lawyer and fellow at the Arabian Peninsula Institute, stated that Musk's comments about a whole biometric airport experience in the U.S. are close to wishful thinking. She pointed out that privacy concerns and costs would likely hinder the implementation of such a system.

"The success of this approach in Abu Dhabi can be attributed to the UAE's small size, wealth, high level of government trust, and ample resources for technical innovation. However, implementing full automation for all eligible travelers in the U.S. will be challenging due to the lack of these same ingredients, including resistance from airport worker unions," Tsukerman stated.

Although Musk criticizes U.S. airports, there is still a biometric presence in the United States.

Biometric boarding has been an option at LAX since 2018, making it one of the first airports in the US to pilot the technology.

LAX utilizes biometrics to streamline the boarding process of international departing flights, with up to four biometric lanes at each gate and facial recognition technology for touchless, paperless traveler verification, as stated by Ian Law, chief digital transformation officer of Los Angeles World Airports.

Law stated that airlines can substantially decrease the time required to board a flight, thereby reducing the amount of time travelers stand in line.

In the US, while no airports are fully biometric like Abu Dhabi's goal, many airports use some biometrics. The TSA's PreCheck option is available at over 200 airports with over 90 participating airlines. To be eligible for PreCheck, individuals must fill out an online form, pay a fee, undergo a background check, an in-person interview, and can opt-in for a facial recognition scan.

Clear, a publicly trading company, has expanded its presence to more than 55 U.S. airports, offering a biometric screening service that allows travelers to skip lines and board planes for a fee. However, this service has raised concerns among some lawmakers about creating a tiered system of travelers and has led to attempts to restrict Clear in California, which ultimately failed earlier this year.

Amadeus, a travel technology provider, does not participate in Abu Dhabi's biometric program but has them at other airports, including Dubai, Vancouver, Perth, and London's Heathrow airport. According to Chris Keller, vice president of airport and airline operations at Amadeus, airports will continue to have paper backups for the foreseeable future in case of technological issues. Keller predicts that the number of passengers using biometrics will increase, but there will always be a group of people who prefer an agent-assisted experience and a paper document.

Jacobson claims that the biometric airport system will prevent criminals from committing crimes by identifying their faces. He explains that once a person is recognized, it has a deterrent effect and reduces the risk. However, he also notes that Musk's comments were taken out of context. According to Jacobson, the development of the biometric system is an incremental process that requires both will and proof of concept, and it will not be completed this week.

In 2011, PreCheck in was implemented after eight years of development.

Jacobson stated that people are uncomfortable with change and that any modifications must be done more efficiently, securely, and less intrusively.

It may take some time for passengers in the U.S. to travel from terminal check-in to airplane seat without needing to present their identification.