Washington Dulles unveils new biometric exit boarding system

Helps meet mandate for biometric exit screening on flights departing the U.S.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, has unveiled a new biometric screening system that uses facial-recognition technology to streamline passenger verification and boarding on outbound international flights. 

The new system, known as veriScanTM, was designed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s Office of Technology in response to a congressional mandate for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to implement biometric exit processes for commercial airline flights leaving the United States.

The new system has been successfully tested by airlines serving Washington Dulles International Airport since July 2018, including United Airlines, Air France-KLM and Scandinavian Airlines, and is under review by American Airlines.

The veriScan system meets the requirements set by CBP for biometric exit procedures at airports and will be available at all international gates at both Dulles International and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for airline use by November 2018.

Using proprietary software loaded on a portable tablet, veriScan encrypts and sends high-resolution photos of passengers boarding international flights to the CBP Traveler Verification Service for nearly instant identity verification.

When integrated with airline boarding systems, veriScan will further streamline and expedite the boarding process by eliminating the need for boarding passes.

The entire veriScan screening process takes less than two seconds, helping airlines speed up the boarding process. The veriScan system uses battery-powered, Wi-Fi / cellular connected tablets that are portable and interchangeable among gates.

Because of this, veriScan is easy to install, requiring only a 30-minute training before it can be used by airline gate agents, and costs one-tenth that of other commercially available solutions.

Jack Potter, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority President and CEO:

“We designed this technology to be deployed quickly and offer a portable, flexible and inexpensive solution to meet U.S. Customs biometric exit screening requirements.

“In addition to meeting the congressional mandate for identity verification, a future version of veriScan is under development with airlines to streamline the boarding process and enhance the passenger experience by offering one step for both biometric exit and passenger boarding, eliminating the need for boarding passes.”

For more information on the veriScan biometric boarding system, visit airportveriscan.com. A release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection on biometric entry and exit at Dulles International Airport is also available online.

N.B. Image credit: Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority,

Internet links

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

veriScan

CBP