Hertz plans to offer fast check-out lanes powered by
biometrics at more than 40 airports by the end of next year.
The first Hertz Fast Lane is now operating at
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta in partnership with Clear, the biometric-identity
technology company that is best known for its private lanes at TSA checkpoints.
"We at Hertz stand for speed, service and
innovation," Hertz chief marketing Jodi Allen said in an interview.
"This is just a logical extension to the speed benefit we have been
working on for many years."
The service will complement Hertz's Carfirmation program,
which allows Gold Plus Rewards members to go directly to their cars at select
airports without stopping at a rental counter. Hertz Fast Lane will be
available exclusively to Hertz loyalty program members.
To participate, those members must register their driver's
license and biometric identity via photo, iris scan and fingerprint with Clear
and then cross link the two accounts. Clear kiosks will be stationed at all
participating Hertz rental centers to facilitate sign-up.
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Use of the Fast Lane is simple. Hertz customers pull up to
an exit gate, roll down their window, and look into a biometric camera. Once a
driver's identity is confirmed, the customer can drive off with the car, having
never spoken to an agent.
"You literally look in the camera and it immediately
connects your face to your driver's license and then you're out the gate,"
Allen said.
The biometric machines are also equipped with fingerprint
scanners as a backup for situations in which the facial technology doesn't
confirm a customer's identity.
Allen said that the typical exit time for a Hertz Fast Lane
customer is 30 seconds, down from an average of two minutes for manual exit.
Los Angeles, New York Kennedy and San Francisco will be
among the mostly major airports at which Hertz will introduce biometric fast
lanes in 2019, Allen said.
The service will be the first usage of biometrics by a major
rental car company, Hertz said. It also is a major diversification for Clear,
which has thus far focused on providing quick, biometric-enabled identity confirmation
at TSA checkpoints, Delta Sky Clubs and sporting venues.
More broadly, Tuesday's announcement marks another expansion
of biometric technology deployment in the airport space. Airlines, airports and
government agencies around the world have begun using or testing biometrics at
everywhere from bag drops and boarding gates to check-in kiosks and airport
customs stations.
This month, for example, Delta began offering the U.S.'s
first end-to-end biometric airport journey at Atlanta airport's international
Terminal F. There, customers can submit to a biometric identity verification through
facial recognition at the check-in kiosk, then go hands-free all the way to the
plane.
Membership to the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program is free.
Clear sign-up for the Hertz Fast Lane program is also free. Those who wish to
use Clear's private lanes at TSA checkpoints must pay an annual membership of
$179, though the company offers discounts to Delta Sky Miles members.
*This article originally appeared on Travel Weekly.