What Is The New Airport 'Contactless Corridor' And What International Travelers Need To Know
A contactless corridor may sound like something out of a futuristic sci-fi movie, but apparently, that future is now. The first contactless corridor in the United States, a technology-based system created to expedite passage through airport checkpoints, is set to debut at Orlando International Airport (MCO) in January 2026. The roll-out, part of a 90-day pilot program, will serve as a test run for the new AI-based technology. The result of a joint venture by Paravision, AiFi, and Embross, the contactless corridor relies on a system of cameras, facial recognition technology, and AI to track individuals as they move through the airport.
During the trial run at Orlando International Airport, the technology will be installed at aircraft boarding gates for flights departing the U.S. Once installed, cameras will capture departing passengers' images, run biometric data, and search government records to confirm their identities and verify their authorization to be in the United States. Within seconds, the data will display on a screen visible to the gate agent. Participation is mandatory for non-U.S. citizens, but will be optional for U.S. citizens who choose to proceed through a traditional screening process.
The selection of Orlando — a top U.S. vacation destination that's surprisingly affordable to visit in August — for the pilot program isn't happenstance. Testing the technology at the family-forward gateway to Disney World and Universal Orlando will provide real-time data on how effective it is for expediting travel for families. Ideally, it'll eliminate the boarding gate shuffle and bottlenecks that happen as parents traveling with small children do their best to juggle boarding passes, luggage, and other gear. The initiative follows Orlando International Airport's recent rollout of Families on the Fly, a TSA program created to make flying with kids less painful by simplifying airport security screening with designated family lanes.
Privacy advocates have a few questions
The technology is also expected to ease delays for solo travelers. "The idea is to make the technology disappear," Joey Pritikin, chief product officer, Paravision, told The New York Times. "We know exactly who is where, when." Sounds good in theory, but privacy advocates have concerns about the see-all-know-all potential of the technology and how data could be applied beyond its stated mission.
"The ease of implementation is what, in part, makes facial recognition such a dangerous technology to implement at such a broad scale," Jeramie Scott, a lawyer with the Electronic Privacy Information Center, told The New York Times in December 2025. "The government will seek to expand its use, thus shifting the control over identification from the person to the government." Scott also questioned the veracity of claims extolling the virtues of the new technology without checks in place, noting a lack of regulations to limit its spread to other use cases.
On the flipside, Lance Lyttle, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, told The New York Times, "Technology enables us to move passengers more effectively without compromising safety and security." The U.S. Travel Association, a trade group that promotes U.S. travel, is also on board with the concept. In a statement, the group said the emerging technology is a major step toward modernizing U.S. border control to a point where it's on par with systems already in place in the European Union. If you're a U.S. citizen planning to travel to the E.U., check out things Rick Steves' protege wants tourists to know about their rights at European airports.