Facial recognition now used to board British Airways passengers at LAX

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Paperless boarding and seamless traveling - it's how international British Airways passengers will now get on board at LAX.

The futuristic machines at three British Airways self-service biometric boarding gates use facial recognition technology to get passengers on board, five at a time, without using a boarding ticket.

"We know this technology is innovation that will make our airport better, the passenger journey easier and our borders safer," said Justin Erbacci, chief innovation & tech officer with Los Angeles World Airports.

Right now you'll find the machines in other countries and airports for domestic flights.

But British Airways is the first airline to use this for international flights.

The biometric technology can recognize your face through passport, visa or government ID photos already in the system. To get through, you simply stand on the mat and the gate opens if you're approved.

"It's great. Very easy. Convenient. Much faster than the usual boarding process," said one passenger heading to London Heathrow International Airport.

Lufthansa, Qantas and Korean Airlines are just some of the next airlines that will be unveiling the machines at their LAX gates in the next 30 days.