A new survey by Xenophon Strategies has revealed that the majority of frequent flyers are embracing the use of facial recognition technology to enhance security and decrease time consumed by waiting in lines.

Xenophon conducted the survey on behalf of NEC Corporation of America (NEC), which provides biometric and artificial intelligence solutions.

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In the survey of 1,955 frequent flyers, 75% said they would embrace the use of facial recognition for identifying foreign and domestic travellers.

Nearly 87% of respondents said they would approve the use of facial recognition to identify criminals and terrorists, as well as safeguard the air travel system.

Security and check-in lines were cited as top annoyances by passengers. According to the survey, more than 71% were keen to pay a $10 fee to bypass lines, while about 22% said they would embarrass themselves by singing a song to the security agent if it meant they could go ahead more quickly.

The survey has also identified broad awareness and affinity for the use of facial recognition in air travel.

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More than 84% of respondents said they would choose an airport in the future that uses facial recognition without asking them to halt and show paper documents for bag drop, check-in, security, and boarding.

Nearly 78% of survey respondents indicated that they were aware of facial recognition technology in use at airports for international travellers entering and exiting the country, while 48% knew of the biometric programmes being undertaken by airlines.

Xenophon Strategies president David Fuscus said: “Airlines are reporting that they can board jumbo jets in about a third less time by using face recognition at the gate.

“Meanwhile, US Customs and Border Protection reports they have been able to stop more than 100 imposters trying to enter the country on false documents. These successes would not have happened, and will not continue to happen, without facial recognition.”