Twins stuck at Mumbai airport as Digi Yatra says ‘access denied’ – how to handle similar face issues

Flying in India is getting a tech boost, and Digi Yatra is one of the buzzed-about upgrades. Basically, it uses facial recognition so passengers can get through security faster and spend less time waiting in long lines. But sometimes even the smartest tech can have a hiccup. That became clear recently at Mumbai Airport when twin brothers tried it out. Their experience got people talking online about how the system reacts to identical faces.The two brothers, both registered on Digi Yatra, expected a seamless airport experience. However, when they approached the facial recognition gate, the system refused to let them through. Confused, they had to fall back on the regular manual verification queue.One brother wrote online: “I am at the airport with my twin brother. We have both registered in Digi Yatra. See the magic of Digi yatra. It says ‘Access denied’ because more than one person found with the same face. So the Digi Yatra didn’t really help us, and now we’re standing in this long line.”The other brother added, “We have identified a bug in Digi Yatra, and it is not allowing both of us to use Digi Yatra.”The post quickly drew attention on social media. One user commented: “I understand software has limitations, but this was a very unusual test case.” Another said, “Sita and Gita were not included in the training model for this AI.” A third noted, “So basically it means the facial recognition used is partial. No retinal scan is being done.”Digi Yatra links each traveler’s face to their own ticket, making sure one person cannot use another’s booking. The system is highly accurate but treats identical or very similar faces as special cases.If the gate cannot recognize a passenger, a backup manual verification is available. Travelers show a physical ID such as Aadhaar, PAN, or a passport along with their boarding pass. If the system gets confused, airport staff step in to check the details and let the passenger through. This way, travelers aren’t stuck just because the tech can’t tell similar faces apart.After the incident went viral, Digi Yatra responded: “Dear Prashant, we appreciate you for highlighting this. We’ve reached out to you via DM with more details to assist further. Team DYF.”This case shows that while facial recognition can make travel faster, human verification remains necessary for unusual situations.Disclaimer: This article is based on social media posts and online reactions. The Times of India has not independently verified the authenticity of the content and does not claim or endorse it.Thumb image: Instagram