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Passengers may one day be able to hitch a ride on a plane with their thumb as carriers consider new ways to trim airport waiting times.

Despite privacy concerns and fears the data could be stolen by hackers, the parent company of Alaska Airlines is testing a system that uses fingerprint scans to identify travellers with the goal of using it to speed up the process of getting from the check-in counter to the gate.

If the 'e-thumb' system is implemented, the Seattle-based airline would become the first in the US to use biometrics for things such as boarding passes, entry into airport lounges or in-flight purchases, Bloomberg reported.

Pioneer: Alaska Airlines could become the first carrier in the US to use biometrics to identify travellers

Fingerprint scans could replace government-issued identification documents such as passports or driver's licences to reduce queues.

Alaska Air Group began using the technology, which uses human physical characteristics to identify a person, at a frequent flier lounge in Seattle in August.

The pilot project does not store images but uses an algorithm that converts reference points on a fingerprint into an encrypted code that cannot reconstruct the original image, Bloomberg reported. 

But the Electronic Frontier Foundation said the technology poses significant risks for privacy and security, and could be vulnerable to hackers.

Under your thumb: Fingerprint scans could be used as boarding passes or to gain access into an airport lounge

The system faces a few hurdles before it can be implemented for commercial use. 

It must go through rigorous approval process and Alaska Air must convince the Transportation Security Administration and other aviation authorities that the system cannot be defeated and personal information will be kept safe and secure. 

Sandy Stelling, Alaska Airlines' managing director for customer research and development, told Bloomberg: 'We're already in discussions of how we extend this, where we go next. Is it the boarding door? Is it the bag drop?

'Obviously we have to line up a number of partnerships to make that happen. The customer response has been that strong. We don't want to take our foot off the gas.'

UK arrivals with biometric visas or biometric residence permits must submit to a fingerprint scan

Fingerprint scans are not unusual in airports.

Currently in the UK, passengers with biometric visas or biometric residence permits must submit to a fingerprint scan when they arrive at passport control. A similar program is used in the US.

Passengers who are flying between the UK and Ireland require a facial biometric image to verify their identity.

In 2008, the former British Airports Authority was forced to scrap plans to take fingerprints of passengers using London Heathrow's Terminal 5 following warnings that such checks could be illegal.

BAA had planned to fingerprint both domestic and international travellers transferring to domestic flights at Heathrow. 

That same year, Scandinavian Airlines began allowing passengers with luggage to board domestic flights with a scan of their index finger.