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Lufthansa Uses New Tech to Board an Airbus A380 in 20 Minutes at LAX

March 21, 2018
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2 min read
Lufthansa A380 Featured
Lufthansa Uses New Tech to Board an Airbus A380 in 20 Minutes at LAX
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If you've ever flown a major international carrier, especially when departing from an overseas hub, you've probably seen how much more efficiently they manage to get passengers on board. I've witnessed international airlines board a Boeing 747 more quickly than US carriers can get folks on a 737 — it's excruciating to watch how poorly it's done here.

While getting passengers in their seats quickly often seems to be the holdup, processing customers at the gate can cause delays as well — especially when passports need to be checked individually for an international flight. Lufthansa's new biometric boarding process has successfully eliminated that latter step at one major US airport, hopefully paving the way for a global expansion.

What stands out most about Lufthansa's LAX trial is a staggering stat: the carrier managed to get all 350 passengers onboard an Airbus A380 in about 20 minutes. That's very impressive for a flight originating in the US!

Lufthansa's biometric boarding employs facial recognition, a technology in use by some other carriers overseas. Unlike Delta's fingerprint boarding, which requires a CLEAR subscription, all passengers can use Lufthansa's system, which matches faces with passport photographs stored in the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) database. Faces are matched to the flight manifest, so passengers don't even need to show a boarding pass at the gate.

Lufthansa stated that customers have responded positively to the new service, and an expansion is currently in the works, including a future rollout to additional gateways in the US.

Featured image by JT Genter

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  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • 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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