Delta passengers can use fingerprints as boarding pass

Delta passengers can now board using just their fingerprints at Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Delta says the final phase of its biometric boarding pass test is due. Allow customers to also use their fingerprints to check in bags this summer.

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The airline says this is available for customers who are members of Delta’s loyalty program SkyMiles. And the customers enrolled in CLEAR an expedited airport security program that costs $179 a year.

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Company started testing its biometric boarding procedure in May. The fingerprinting process allows customers to board an aircraft or enter Delta Sky Club lounges without their ID and ticket.

Delta says it’s partnering with CLEAR. To power the back end of its biometric boarding system, which at the moment is a pilot program. West says partnering with CLEAR has also made it more scalable. The process could expand across Delta’s domestic network in a matter of months.

In addition, JetBlue and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will test facial recognition for passengers boarding flights from Boston’s Logan Airport to Aruba starting later this month. Volunteers will be photographed and their images will be searched against a Customs database of passport and other photos.

Passengers who are cleared will get a signal from a screen above the camera, telling them they can go ahead and board. These services to eliminate the need for initial identity checks and boarding passes.

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Moreover, The Delta Company has introduced several new services in a bid to win over more customers including RFID baggage handling that lets customers track where their luggage is via an app. There’s no word yet on robots that carry your luggage through the terminal, but we have our fingers crossed.