Are biometric scans the checkpoint of the future?

How one company wants to forever change how we fly.

By
DAVID KERLEY and JEFFREY COOK
March 17, 2017, 11:58 AM ET
3 min read

— -- Could the frustration of waiting in line at airport security become a thing of the past?

One company is already using biometrics to identify registered travelers and significantly cut wait times.

Clear, a company based in New York City, has kiosks in more than 20 participating airports around the United States. When a passenger arrives at an airport security checkpoint, Clear uses biometrics to identify the passenger before allowing him or her to proceed directly to the screening area. A computer scans the traveler's irises and fingerprints in addition to asking for some personal information.

All this means no more waiting in line to check IDs.

David Cohen, chief administrative officer of Clear, told ABC News the company's goal is for a registered traveler to keep moving from the moment he or she enters the fast-access lane to the moment of TSA screening.

"Next year we may be using passive iris scanning, which allows you to be identified as you are coming into the lane," said Cohen.

The former head of TSA told ABC News that biometrics could one day make a plane ticket obsolete.

"Your iris could be your boarding pass; facial recognition could be your boarding pass," said Adm. Peter Neffenger.

The fee for a five-year membership to TSA PreCheck is $85. An annual membership in Clear is $179.

The TSA and Department of Homeland Security have authorized Clear to operate, but the company also partners with various airport authorities.

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The Clear program has expanded to sports as well. Major League Baseball stadiums in New York, Denver, Miami and San Fransisco all are using Clear to expedite registered visitors into their ballparks.

The scanning of bags may also undergo a significant development. The TSA and private companies are testing a new system that will create a 360 degree image of the items in passengers' luggage that will be examined in a monitor by a remote human employee.

Some of it may look like a science-fiction movie set, but the day where your eyes and hands are your ID has arrived.

ABC News' Becky Perlow and Whitney Lloyd contributed to this report.