The future has arrived: Biometric facial recognition now used at select gates
TPA is now pilot testing three different types of face-scan screening for outbound international flights.
Biometric face scanning has arrived at Tampa International Airport.
On June 28, TPA began a 30-day pilot of the new technology at three international gates to help process departing passengers. The device, which 
simply looks like an iPad or tablet, is mounted on the boarding gate kiosks.
As a passenger walk towards the biometric scanner, the device will scan their face and compare it to a database. If the face matches, the machine will clear the passenger. The new technology essentially replaces the need for a passenger to show his or her passport at the gate.
During this pilot, the Airport will test out three different vendors to see which technology is a best fit. Once complete, the team aims to roll out the technology on all outbound international flights.
“Tampa International Airport is on the cutting-edge with this new biometric screening technology,” said Guest Services Director Danny Glennon. “This will make the boarding process faster, and eventually, could be used for inbound flights as well. We can’t wait to see the results.”
To date, fewer than 10 U.S. airports have rolled out the screening.