CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Travelers passing through security at Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport may soon notice new technology that will help identify passengers.
The Transportation Security Administration at CVG is one of about 20 in the U.S. that will be equipped with a Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) 2, which will help them know who is boarding the planes by using a camera to improve the officer’s ability to authenticate and identify inconsistencies associated with fraudulent travel documents.
“Essentially it is doing a photo match of the passenger standing in front of the camera and comparing that to the identity you are presenting […] and then with our security officers in place, they’re also looking at that passenger to do another verification in real-time,” Assistant Federal Security Director Tom Bechtol said.
Using a training passport, Bechtol demonstrates how CAT 2 works as seen in the video above.
He says the machines are advanced enough to detect changes in appearance, like makeup or facial hair. Because boarding passes will not need to be passed back and forth, the technology will also help keep passengers safe by eliminating any unnecessary “touch point” during cold and flu season.
But as far as speeding up the screening process, CAT 2 will not help there.
“The advantage here is that it introduces better technology to help us identify passengers in a more effective way from a security posture,” Bechtol explained. “But in terms of efficiency, it’s really gonna be zero net gain on that.”
Officials with the airport told FOX19 NOW that passengers will be allowed to decline the camera and opt for a more traditional screening.
As of now, five of the CAT 2 machines have been installed in the Pre-Check lanes at CVG.
However, security officers say they will not be fully operational until after Memorial Day weekend.
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2023 WXIX. All rights reserved.
