These Charlotte airport passengers can go through security now without showing ID

Just in time for the holiday rush, American Airlines has rolled out a faster security process at Charlotte’s airport for its loyalty program members.

The airline launched a streamlined, photo-based process on Monday, Dec. 22 for AAdvantage passengers going through Charlotte Douglas International Airport using the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck Touchless ID facial recognition system.

This allows eligible members to move through security more easily after an identity match compares a customer’s image to photos previously provided to the government. This includes pictures from passports, Global Entry or visa cards.

TSA has used the technology for domestic travel for several years since the pandemic, according to spokesman Carter Langston. The announcement is part of a new partnership with American to make passengers faces their ID, if they want to sign up for the PreCheck and airline awards services.

Facial recognition technology has also been used for passengers coming to CLT from foreign countries since May 2021, and since 2023 for people leaving the Charlotte airport for another country.

Facial recognition can save time by allowing travelers to skip ID checks, but groups like the American Civil Liberties Union are not in favor of the process. The organization believes it allows authorities to track people in public without their knowledge or consent, according to its website. The ACLU considers facial recognition to be a threat to privacy.

The ACLU also supports the Traveler Privacy Protection Act, a bill that would regulate and limit the TSA’s use of facial recognition technology at airports. While lawmakers debate the process, American Airlines is moving forward with its voluntary program.

How the new American Airlines facial recognition program works

AAdvantage customers over 18 will be offered the opportunity to participate by providing their membership number, passport, and a TSA PreCheck traveler number. Members can opt in anytime through their profile on aa.com, and they must renew once a year.

Identity verification is a critical part of transportation security, said TSA’s CLT Federal Security Director Greg Hawko in a news release.

“Passengers can be identified and verified using their face as their identification, allowing the passenger to have their phones and IDs safely packed away before beginning the screening process,” Hawko said.

At CLT airport, the service is now available at Security Checkpoint 2.

Charlotte Douglas is one of 12 airports where this service is offered. Some of the others include airports serving major cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, and the Dallas–Fort Worth region.

American plans to expand the service at additional airports in the coming months with help from TSA.

More on Charlotte Douglas and American Airlines

CLT is the sixth-busiest airport in the world for takeoffs and landings, according to preliminary rankings released in April by Airports Council International. The airport had 596,583 flights last year — an 11% increase from 2023, when it was ranked seventh internationally.

Charlotte Douglas is the second-largest hub for American, accounting for about 90% of all flights out of the airport. The airline provides flights to more than 170 destinations in 27 countries worldwide at CLT through its global network.

American is expected to operate more than 11,700 flights at Charlotte Douglas, with more than 1.4 million seats available for the holiday travel period from Dec. 18 through Jan. 5.

The busiest days for American at CLT will be Sundays, Dec. 28 and Jan. 4, with up to 660 scheduled departures each day.