International travelers arriving in New York will soon encounter a very different kind of border checkpoint at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The New Terminal One, currently under construction on the airport’s south side, has announced a new partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to deploy a biometric border control system designed to move passengers through inspections faster and more efficiently than ever, while maintaining stringent security standards. At the heart of the initiative is Enhanced Passenger Processing, or EPP, which uses facial biometrics to verify traveler identity in real time as part of a seamless arrivals experience.
A New Model for International Arrivals at JFK
The New Terminal One is the flagship project in the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s multibillion-dollar redevelopment of JFK. Planned as a 2.6 million square foot, international-only facility, it is scheduled to open its first phase, including new arrivals and departures halls and 14 widebody gates, in 2026, with full buildout targeted for 2030. As the terminal design has evolved, its backers have repeatedly emphasized a core ambition: to reimagine the international travel experience from curb to gate, with technology playing a central role in reducing friction for passengers.
Enhanced Passenger Processing is emerging as a key pillar of that vision. Rather than treating passport control as a purely manual checkpoint, the new system embeds biometric verification into the flow of arriving passengers. Eligible U.S. citizens will approach EPP lanes where cameras capture a live facial image and match it against secure government records such as passport and CBP data. If the identity check is successful and no additional inspection is required, travelers can be cleared in a matter of minutes, significantly reducing the time spent waiting in traditional queues.
This move places JFK’s New Terminal One at the forefront of a broader shift in border management, in which data, automation and human oversight are combined to create a smarter, more responsive inspection process. For CBP, it is another step in a national strategy to use biometrics to both improve facilitation for legitimate travelers and sharpen the focus on higher-risk cases. For the terminal, it is a differentiator in a highly competitive global market for long-haul international traffic.
How Biometric Border Control Works at New Terminal One
The technical foundation of JFK’s new arrivals experience is facial recognition, deployed in close coordination with CBP. In the EPP lanes, cameras capture images of approaching travelers without requiring them to stop for a prolonged period or handle kiosks or touchscreens. That live image is then compared to existing government-held photographs, such as those stored in ePassports and CBP systems, to confirm that the person presenting themselves is the true holder of the document.
New Terminal One has selected iProov, a specialist in biometric identity verification, to power this capability. The company’s technology is designed to perform highly accurate facial matching while also verifying that the person in front of the camera is a real, live individual rather than a spoof attempt using a photo, mask or deepfake video. The system focuses on a brief, passive scan, minimizing the burden on travelers and allowing them to keep moving while the verification takes place in the background.
In practice, the EPP concept is intended to transform what has traditionally been a bottleneck into a smoother, more predictable process. At other airports where similar solutions are already in use, biometric screening has enabled significantly higher throughput per lane and a substantial drop in average wait times. Those benchmarks are a major reason why CBP and airport operators see EPP as a next-generation platform rather than an experimental add-on.
Faster, More Predictable Travel Times for Passengers
For international travelers, perhaps the most tangible impact of the new biometric system will be reduced uncertainty. Historically, arrival at a major U.S. gateway could mean anything from a quick pass through immigration to an hour or more in crowded lines, depending on schedules, staffing and inspection complexity. By integrating EPP into New Terminal One’s design from the outset, planners aim to create a more consistent and manageable arrivals experience.
Real-world deployments of iProov’s technology at other international airports provide an early indication of what passengers might expect. At Orlando International Airport, for example, biometric lanes supported by the same provider have been credited with cutting average border wait times by roughly two thirds, with a very high rate of successful first-attempt captures. Travelers can often complete border formalities in as little as a couple of minutes, rather than the extended waits that used to be the norm.
If similar performance is achieved at JFK’s New Terminal One, the impact on traveler perception could be significant. Shorter queues, smoother flows and faster clearance are especially valuable at an international-only terminal catering to long-haul flights, many of which arrive in concentrated waves. For families, business travelers and frequent flyers, knowing that arrival formalities are likely to be swift can influence decisions about connections, onward ground transportation and even which gateway they choose for transatlantic or transpacific journeys.
Balancing Speed, Security and Choice
The partnership between New Terminal One and CBP is being framed not just as an efficiency play but as a way to reinforce border security. By automating identity verification for a large share of travelers, CBP officers can spend more time focusing on exceptions, anomalies and higher-risk cases that warrant additional questioning or inspection. Biometric matching helps ensure that the person holding a document is the same person whose information appears in government databases, reducing the potential for identity fraud and impostors to slip through.
At the same time, officials and terminal managers are keenly aware that biometric technologies raise questions about privacy, data handling and consent. In line with other CBP biometric programs, participation in the EPP process at New Terminal One will be optional for travelers. Those who do not wish to have their photo taken for biometric matching can decline and instead proceed through a traditional inspection route with a CBP officer. Importantly, there is no enrollment fee or advance registration required to use EPP, which distinguishes it from trusted traveler programs such as Global Entry.
CBP has long emphasized that the photos captured for biometric entry or exit are either drawn from existing government holdings or retained under strict time limits, with facial templates managed in accordance with federal policy. While civil liberties advocates continue to call for stronger oversight and transparency, operators like New Terminal One are positioning their systems as examples of how biometric border control can be deployed in a way that respects traveler choice and data protection standards while still delivering substantial operational benefits.
Part of a Nationwide Wave of Airport Biometrics
JFK’s New Terminal One is not introducing biometric border control in isolation. Across the United States, CBP and airport authorities have been steadily expanding the use of facial recognition and other biometric tools at passport control and boarding gates. Miami International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta, and JFK’s own Terminal 8 are among the major hubs where biometric systems have already helped streamline arrivals or departures for millions of passengers.
At Miami, a large-scale deployment of automated passport screening using biometric pods now enables eligible U.S. citizens to complete entry procedures in a fraction of the time once required, with live facial images checked against secure records in under three seconds. In Atlanta, biometric boarding has rolled out across all international gates, allowing passengers to board flights using their face as a boarding pass. These experiences are building a base of traveler familiarity and acceptance that will likely benefit New Terminal One when its doors open.
What sets the New Terminal One initiative apart is the ability to embed EPP into the fabric of a brand-new, purpose-built international terminal. Rather than retrofitting biometric solutions into existing layouts, designers have been able to shape arrival halls, queuing areas and back-of-house processing around the needs of modern, technology-enabled border control. This level of integration is intended to support not just today’s systems but also future upgrades, as biometric standards, privacy regulations and traveler expectations continue to evolve.
Designing a Terminal Around Seamless Movement
The biometric border control initiative at New Terminal One is closely tied to a broader rethink of the passenger journey through the terminal. From the outset, planners have emphasized reducing friction in historically stressful areas such as check in, security and immigration. Working with the Transportation Security Administration, the terminal is installing next generation computed tomography scanners and advanced imaging technology at security checkpoints, as well as incorporating biometric identity verification on the departures side.
This holistic approach means that the same core principles guiding the arrivals hall also apply elsewhere in the terminal. Travelers will encounter wide, naturally lit public spaces, simplified wayfinding, and digital infrastructure designed to adapt as new technologies emerge. By the time they reach the EPP lanes at passport control, many will already have experienced biometric touchpoints elsewhere in their journey, reinforcing a sense of continuity and reducing the learning curve.
For connecting passengers, especially those transferring between international flights, the combination of streamlined security and biometric border control could be particularly powerful. Shorter and more predictable processing times open the door to more ambitious connection windows, expanded routing options and a more relaxed experience between flights. For an airport that serves as a primary gateway to North America, these factors play directly into route planning decisions by global carriers.
Implications for Airlines, the Region and the Future of Travel
The rollout of Enhanced Passenger Processing at New Terminal One carries implications that extend beyond individual travelers. For airlines, a faster, more reliable arrivals process can translate into better on time performance, more efficient use of aircraft and crews, and greater appeal to high value customers who prioritize convenience at busy hubs. For New York City and the wider region, a smoother gateway experience strengthens the competitive position of JFK relative to other North American and transatlantic hubs vying for long haul traffic.
The project also contributes to a broader conversation about what the future of border control should look like in an era of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence and biometric technology. Advocates of systems like EPP argue that when implemented with strong safeguards, biometric screening can make borders both more secure and more humane, by reducing congestion and freeing officers to focus on nuanced interactions that technology cannot replace. Critics counter that the expansion of biometric surveillance risks normalizing constant identity checks and expanding government databases in ways that are hard to roll back.
What is clear is that JFK’s New Terminal One and its CBP partners are positioning this biometric arrivals experience as a model for next generation international travel. As the terminal moves toward its 2026 opening, travelers, airlines, privacy advocates and other airports will be watching closely. If Enhanced Passenger Processing delivers on its promise of faster, more efficient and still secure border control, it could accelerate the adoption of similar systems around the world and mark a turning point in how global travelers move across borders.