Are Self-Boarding ‘E-Gates’ The Future Of Newark Airport?

NEWARK, NJ — Officials are testing out a cutting-edge security device at Newark Liberty International Airport: self-boarding “e-gates.”

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently announced that it’s piloting the new technology at Gate 62 of Terminal B. It will be tested until Aug. 31 and considered for “potentially wider implementation” based on the results.

The agency is working with partners EASIER and Idemia, who manufacture the hardware and software, respectively, and Lufthansa, which has integrated the e-gate into its departure control system.

Here’s the concept, Port Authority officials say:

“The normal boarding process requires passengers to wait in line while an attendant – often having to handle a scrum of many passengers – scans boarding passes and passports. But biometric boarding only requires something passengers can’t lose: their face.”

According to the Port Authority, the system works in tandem with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to cross-reference images. The biometric picture taken before boarding must match the images in the CBP’s existing database, which all passport holders have already entered. Once the CBP sends confirmation, the airline deletes all scans within 12 hours.

In addition to saving travelers and attendants time, the pilot system helps limit physical contact between people and shared surfaces, helping with COVID-19 safety, officials said. In turn, agents that would normally be located behind acrylic barriers scanning documents can now be redeployed to other departments.

Not interested in being a guinea pig? All passengers have the right to opt out of the biometric system and have their passport and boarding pass checked manually, officials said.

However, so far, the case for biometrics is strong, Port Authority officials added. Recent trials at a biometric Delta terminal at Atlanta International Airport found that the system saves up to nine minutes per flight.

If it pans out, the new technology could make a big difference at an airport that’s long been criticized for travel delays.

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“The passenger walks right up to the e-gate, which takes a biometric scan and confirms a passenger is okay to board,” said Raymond Viggiano, international facility supervisor at Newark Airport.

“There’s very little interaction needed there,” Viggiano added. “The entire process takes seconds – it's that quick. It’s just a really nice flow and passenger experience.”

Port Authority officials said that until the pilot program concludes at the end of August, the agency will continue to collect data that compares the speed of boarding with biometrics – measured by passengers per minute – to gates with the traditional emplaning procedure.

“The Port Authority and its airport partners hope to take a phased approach in implementing biometric scanners first, at the international gates and then throughout all of Terminal B,” spokespeople said. “Beyond that, the possibilities are limitless.”

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