Orlando Tests Ambitious Biometric Boarding Pilots — Aiming to Slash International Wait Times
- Sky Vault Aviation
- Dec 10, 2025
- 5 min read
Lead — what’s happening and why it matters
Orlando International Airport (MCO) has initiated a series of three 90-day biometric pilot programs aimed at accelerating processing for outbound international travelers and reducing wait times at gates and U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) checkpoints. The pilots — run in partnership with CBP and several biometric vendors — use facial-comparison technology to enable passport-free boarding and streamlined exit screening. Airport and CBP officials say the technology can dramatically cut queues and throughput times; privacy advocates and security experts say the pilots raise important questions about data use, retention and oversight.
What the pilots actually do — the tech and the process
MCO’s pilot program is not a single system but three concurrent 90-day trials that test different biometric flows at the gate and at exit lanes. Participating travelers (and certain flight types) will be able to verify identity via a facial scan that is automatically compared to passport and CBP records — removing the need to present a passport at boarding or at some exit checkpoints. CBP reports that images captured for the pilot are deleted quickly (CBP has said images are deleted within 12 hours), and travelers are given opt-out options in many parts of the pilots.
The pilots leverage multiple vendors and technologies. Industry reporting identifies companies including iProov, Aware and Paravision as technology partners powering different elements of the trials — from liveness checks and spoof detection to rapid face-to-passport matching. The diversity of suppliers is intentional: MCO and CBP want to test interoperability, accuracy and passenger throughput under real operating conditions.
Early performance signals — big reductions in wait times claimed
Airport officials and CBP point to early results at MCO and at other airports where related biometric programs are deployed. Official briefings and local reporting say the new facial-ID checks can cut wait times substantially — some outlets cite reductions of 30–65% in certain passenger flows, while government briefings have referenced figures in the 40% range for specific checkpoints. CBP and MCO say the system processes travelers in mere seconds and can increase lane throughput to more than a dozen passengers per minute in optimized lanes. That performance is central to MCO’s push to test gate-based and exit screening applications at scale.
Who is required to use it, and who can opt out?
According to local reporting on the pilot rollout, non-U.S. citizens will be required to use the biometric exit screening beginning Dec. 26 during the pilot period, while U.S. citizens may have the option to opt out of some elements and instead present traditional travel documents. CBP’s public documentation confirms that biometric solutions are being expanded at airports and that specific enrollment and opt-out rules can vary by pilot and location. Travelers should check airline and airport notices ahead of travel for details on which flights are included and whether participation is voluntary or mandatory for their passenger category.
Why Orlando? Capacity and tourism pressures made it urgent
Orlando is one of the country’s busiest leisure gateways — MCO expects more than 57 million passengers in 2025, with a significant share bound for international destinations. Airport leaders say that roughly 15% of MCO’s traffic is outbound international, creating concentrated peaks that strain gates, security and CBP staffing. Those operational realities make Orlando an attractive test bed for technologies that promise to shorten lines without adding permanent staffing. The pilots are also part of a multi-year modernization plan that includes tram upgrades and other passenger-flow investments at the airport.
What vendors and government agencies say — interoperability and data handling
MCO’s pilots involve public-private cooperation. CBP has been piloting “Enhanced Passenger Processing” (EPP) programs and works with vendors to perform biometric comparisons for entry and exit processing. Vendors involved highlight features such as liveness detection (to prevent spoofing), rapid matching against passport photos, and short image retention windows to reduce privacy exposure. iProov, for example, has published details of partnership pilots with CBP and airports aimed at enabling fast passenger processing while protecting biometric data.
CBP states that images used in these operational pilots are handled under strict rules and that the agency’s biometric environment pages explain when facial images are used for processing at airports. Nevertheless, privacy organizations point to the need for clearer, public-facing explanations of retention periods, exact deletion policies, data sharing and oversight.
Privacy, security and policy concerns — what critics warn about
Biometric pilots often face scrutiny. Critics point to three broad areas of concern:
Data risk & retention — centralized biometric datasets are attractive targets for hackers, and long retention timelines can compound the risk. Some reporting and privacy analysis have highlighted potential long-term storage policies tied to other DHS programs that critics find troubling.
Accuracy & bias — face recognition systems have historically shown differential performance across demographic groups; airports must validate that false-match and false-reject rates are extremely low to avoid misidentification or delays for some travelers. Vendors and CBP emphasize liveness checks and multi-vendor trials to measure performance.
Transparency & consent — passengers and advocacy groups want clearer notice on how biometric images are used, who can access them, and how to opt out. While CBP’s pilot rules and MCO’s communications provide some detail, critics call for more public oversight and third-party audits.
Public reporting also notes that CBP’s broader biometric exit policy (announced at the federal level) will roll out in stages, starting at airports and eventually covering all ports of entry — a development that adds urgency to local debates about safeguards.
Operational logistics & likely passenger experience during the pilot
Travelers participating in MCO’s pilots can expect a simpler gate experience: instead of showing a passport and boarding pass, a traveler will pass through a short biometric lane where a camera captures a live image; the system compares it with the electronic passport photo and confirms identity within seconds. For outbound non-U.S. citizens in the mandatory pilot window, the facial scan will serve as the exit check, while U.S. citizens may be offered the choice to use physical ID if they prefer. CBP emphasizes that the images used for matching will not be used for unrelated purposes and will be deleted per the agency’s operational rules.
Airlines will also be involved: gate agents will verify enrollment and direct passengers to biometric lanes when required. MCO says that travelers who opt out or who fail biometric matching will be processed through traditional identity checks, which could mean longer waits for those passengers.
What to watch while the pilot runs — metrics and outcomes that matter
Over the next 90 days, airport operators, CBP and vendors will evaluate multiple metrics to determine whether to scale or adjust the program:
Average wait-time reduction at CBP and gate lanes (minutes saved).
Throughput per lane (passengers per minute) and peak-hour capacity.
False-accept and false-reject rates, disaggregated by demographic variables.
User satisfaction and opt-out rates among U.S. and non-U.S. travelers.
Operational robustness in varied weather, lighting, and gate configurations.
Findings from MCO’s pilots will inform whether CBP recommends broader roll-out at other U.S. airports, and they will shape industry choices on vendor selection, lane design and traveler communications.
Bottom line — speed versus safeguards
Orlando’s biometric pilots are among the most extensive exit and gate facial recognition trials in the United States to date. Airport leaders and CBP argue the tests can cut wait times dramatically and create a frictionless traveler experience at scale. The pilots also come at a politically sensitive moment: federal plans to expand biometric exit checks nationwide, high passenger volumes at Orlando, and rising public scrutiny of biometric data governance. The outcome of these pilots will therefore shape both operational practices at major U.S. gateways and broader policy debates about privacy, security and the future of biometric travel.
Comments