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Delta to Introduce Face-Scanning Baggage Drop

May 15, 2017
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2 min read
delta bag drop
Delta to Introduce Face-Scanning Baggage Drop
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Delta has announced that facial recognition technology is making its way to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport this summer. The airline will be introducing four self-service bag drop machines, one of which will include technology that confirms the traveler's identity by matching a picture of their face with their passport photo.

Delta hopes the new feature will save customers time and free up Delta agents to "seek out travelers and deliver more proactive and thoughtful customer service."

It's the first technology of its kind used by any of the US airlines and comes on the heels of Delta introducing a baggage-tracking system allowing customers to see where their luggage is all the way from the plane to the carousel. Tokyo's Narita airport unveiled a similar self-service bag drop machine in March, but the device did not include a biometric feature like Delta's.

The machine in Tokyo is said to shorten the time to check a bag by 2-3 minutes, and other studies have shown that self-service baggage drops have the potential to process twice as many customers per hour.

Delta said the kiosks cost $600,000 and are currently in trial mode. The airline plans on collecting customer feedback before introducing the technology elsewhere.

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  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
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  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
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