Air New Zealand passengers were some of the first to test biometric verification at the boarding gate after a successful trial at LAX last week that will provide a frictionless travel experience as the airline anticipates a summer holiday season surge.
On entry to the US, Air NZ passengers can register with Customs & Border Protection (CBP) using their biometric information.
At the automated airport kiosks, this same data is used to verify their identity at the time of boarding. Biometric information is secured by CBP and not directly accessible to Air New Zealand or other airlines using this service.
Air NZ Chief Digital Officer Nikhil Ravishankar said the technology will speed up the boarding process, creating a seamless experience for customers and airport staff.
“We’ve heard from customers that they want their airport experience to be hassle-free and technology is a key enabler of that,” he said.
“The feedback from more than 1,000 customers who have used this technology to board our flights has been really positive.
“Using biometrics at the boarding gate is only the beginning and we’re in talks with industry players about how we can use biometric technology throughout the whole airport process.”
Earlier this month, the airline launched its improved Air NZ App, which allows online check-in and has clocked almost 2.3 million downloads.
Bumper summer travel season
Air NZ is also gearing up to welcome 2.8 million passengers between 15 December 2022 and 31 January 2023 – the first summer holiday period since COVID restrictions eased.
Air NZ CEO Alex Marren said the airline carried just 1.1 million passengers during the same period last year and the demand clearly indicates that travel is rebounding.
“Over recent weeks, we’ve seen a strong increase in bookings and over the summer, we’ll be operating at pre-COVID levels,” he said.
Over the last 10 months, the carrier has hired more than 1,950 operational employees – around 1,200 cabin crew, 250 pilots, 400 airport employees and 30 engineers. By February 2023, the airline will have an additional 700 staff.
“We’re back to more robust performance compared to our winter months where we experienced high levels of COVID. In preparation for summer, we’ve added some additional flexibility around our flight schedule and increased crew standby levels,” Mr Marren said.
To find out more, head to airnewzealand.com
