Aviation360 MEA

Air Canada has improved their passenger experience and has become the first Canadian Airline to launch digital identification technology for selected flights from Vancouver International Airport.

Airport maps with GPS directions in airline apps, bag tracking, bag drop shortcuts at airports, mobile boarding passes, and even biometric technology for boarding aircraft. Air Canada announced it was the first Canadian airline to receive approval to begin using digital identification technology for selected flights out of YVR and its Air Canada Café at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Air Canada will digitally identify its clients when boarding certain flights to Winnipeg using facial recognition technology. In the future, the airline hopes to expand the use of the technology to other Canadian airports and its Maple Leaf lounges.

“Many of our customers already utilize digital credentials to simplify their daily activities such as unlocking mobile phones, entering workplaces, verifying identification during financial transactions and more. We are very excited to now take a leadership position in Canada and test digital identification using facial recognition technology to validate customer identification quickly, securely and accurately at select airport touchpoints.” Craig Landry, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Air Canada

A notification to employ the new digital technology and details on how to sign up before their flight will be sent to passengers on flights that are eligible for its use. Individuals who don’t want to enroll can still travel normally with a government-issued picture ID and a mobile or paper boarding pass.

Landry added,

“Participation in digital identification is voluntary. Customers choosing to use digital identification will benefit from a simplified and seamless process at the gate and when entering our Maple Leaf Lounges.”

The airline claims that biometric information can only be gathered in conjunction with passenger content and is only saved on each mobile device. He added, “for up to 36 hours subject to Air Canada’s rigorous privacy and security standard.”