Air Canada launches voluntary facial recognition system at Vancouver airport

Travellers flying out of the Vancouver International Airport on Air Canada are now able to use their face as their ID.

Participation in the airline’s new facial recognition system is voluntary, and for the moment only works for domestic flights.

Travellers who want to use it must download the Air Canada app, upload a photo of their passport, and then submit a selfie.

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The airline says passengers will still need to use their regular ID to get through airport security, but from then on, they will be able to pass freely through airport checkpoints.

“It’s really a point of embarkation technology that is there to, in fact, screen passengers and make sure they’re authorized to get on board an airplane at a boarding gate and that’s it,” said McGill University Aviation Analyst John Gradek.

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“I would definitely do it, see what the process is like and how it works.”

The airline says once a passenger’s trip is completed their biometric data will be deleted within 36 hours and will not remain part of their digital profile.