Pandemic Has Made Air Travelers OK With Biometrics

Three years ago, if you’d asked air travelers if they’d be willing to offer up their biometric data in exchange for a more streamlined experience, less than half of them would have said yes — then, COVID happened.

Since the pandemic, consumers have begun to come around on biometric identity solutions, especially where air travel is concerned.

A recent survey by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) found that 73% of passengers now are willing to provide their biometric data to access more streamlined experiences, compared to 46% who said the same in 2019.

It’s hard to argue this has nothing to do with the pandemic. Travel processing now takes anywhere from 90 minutes to three hours, even as air traffic levels have decreased by 70% since the outbreak.

The data shows 86% of passengers say they had a positive experience with biometric-based screening, although just 36% of all consumers have undertaken biometric scans and more than half expressed concerns about data breaches and misused information.

That means biometrics providers will have to work to ease consumer concerns about the security and privacy of their offerings if they want to attract more customers.

Meanwhile, in another transit-related development, drivers in New Jersey are expressing concern over a new state law that would let motorists verify their vehicle registration with their mobile devices instead of physical documents.

These drivers’ concerns stem from the idea of having to hand over their unlocked smartphones to law enforcement. However, the law is not yet in effect, and New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission has 18 months to set up security safeguards as it creates its electronic registration system.

State legislators say there are a number of protections that keep law enforcement from misusing the system. For example, the law lets officers observe just the registration as it is presented on the device and bars them from searching phones. Police are also instructed to ignore any information they see unintentionally, such as messages that pop up while they’re handling the phones.

For more on the latest in digital identity, download your copy of the December 2021/January 2022 edition of the Digital Identity Tracker, a PYMNTS and Jumio collaboration.