NEED TO KNOW: Your Face Is Scanned When Boarding at Orlando Airport, Not Just At Security

If you’ve traveled recently, you may have noticed that when you walk up to security at some airports, instead of scanning your boarding pass, your face is scanned instead.

This is called biometrics, the official definition of which is, “the automated recognition of individuals by means of unique physical characteristics (such as fingerprints, voice, typing speed, etc.), typically for the purposes of security.” If you’ve got a piece of technology that uses your fingerprint, face ID, or voice, those are all biometrics as well. In fact, Disney uses biometrics when they scan your fingerprint, and Universal uses it when they scan your face to enter. However, what you may not know is that when boarding a flight at Orlando International Airport (MCO), as well as some other airports, biometrics are being used as well.

We just recently stopped by MCO for a flight, and while we were in the airport, we noticed this sign near our gate, which states that as you approach the e-gate to step aboard the plane, your photograph will be taken and provided to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Your photo will then be compared to that on your ID, passport, or other travel document to confirm your identity. These photos will be deleted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection within 12 hours of being taken, and the flight carriers delete them immediately. It’s important to note that this is completely optional — if you don’t want your photo taken, you can speak to a gate agent or nearby CBP officer to request manual identity verification.