Facial recognition services at six major airports will be expanded to include international flight passengers starting December 1, according to Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT).
The state-owned company announced on Thursday that the biometrics-based facial recognition system will now cover travelers on international flights at Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Don Mueang, Hat Yai, Phuket, and Suvarnabhumi airports. This expansion is expected to reduce the time registered travelers spend at each checkpoint from three minutes to just one minute.
To use the automated biometric identification system, passengers must first register by having their faces scanned. Registration can be completed with airline staff at traditional check-in counters or via common-use self-service (CUSS) check-in kiosks.
Once registered, travelers can proceed to drop off their luggage at Common Use Bag Drop (CUBD) machines without needing to present their boarding passes or passports.
AOT stated that biometric data collected during the registration process will be deleted 48 hours after registration, in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
The facial recognition service was first introduced for passengers on domestic flights on November 1.
