SITA launched Border Flow Lane, a border-processing model that replaces stop-and-check passport control at gates, kiosks and officer stations with continuous, in-motion identity verification as travelers walk through the terminal. The company says the approach runs up to eight times faster than standard eGates and can clear more than 75% of passengers before their flight departs, freeing immigration officers to focus on non-routine cases while retaining full authority to stop any traveler.
Toronto Pearson is piloting the system with Air Canada across four facial-verification gates — one for domestic travelers and three for U.S.-bound passengers — using Dormakaba hardware with middleware from SITA and Airsphere. For U.S.-bound flights, the reference image comes from the identity record created during U.S. preclearance; for domestic flights, it draws on the record generated through Air Canada’s app. Participation remains voluntary, and travelers can opt for standard document checks instead.
Why it matters
Airports have largely hit the physical limits of widening queues and adding staff to handle passenger growth; shifting identity verification earlier and making it continuous rather than a single stop-and-check event is one of the few remaining ways to add effective checkpoint capacity without new floor space.
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