New article: British airways start scanning faces to enable faster boarding read more at here http://www.spinonews.com/index.php/world/item/3103-british-airways-start-scanning-faces-to-enable-faster-boarding

British Airways is rolling out technology that will allow passengers to go through boarding gates at its main London Heathrow Airport hub using facial recognition.

BA said, biometric devices at the main security-screening area in Terminal 5 capture a traveler's features along with the boarding pass, and then a facial scan at the gate verifies the person's identity, allowing them to get on the plane without showing documents. The system is designed to speed up boarding and reduce errors.

Three gates are now using the equipment, with another 33 planned in the coming months, the carrier said. The system will be used initially only for domestic routes, with the eventual goal of extending it to international flights.

British Airways, a unit of London-based IAG SA, already operates self-service luggage check-in desks at both Heathrow and London Gatwick airports.

"The addition of self-boarding gates, along with self-serve bag drop points, are just two of the ways in which we are investing in areas our customers value most," Troy Warfield, director of customer experience at the airline, said.

The Heathrow facial-scanning setup is starting just as new U.K. and U.S. security measures take effect, forbidding travelers coming from some Middle Eastern locations from bringing laptops and other large consumer electronic devices into plane cabins.

European airports are separately exploring methods to scan for explosive liquids without requiring passengers to remove bottles from cabin bags in an effort to improve security and ease what remains one of the most arduous parts of air travel.