E-Paper
Air travel set for major overhaul, boarding passes and check-in may be scrapped
These plans will require a substantial upgrade to airport infrastructure, including the installation of facial recognition technology.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), UN body responsible for shaping airline policy, is planning to overhaul current boarding procedures with the introduction of a “digital travel credential,” according to reports in The Times and The Guardian.
This change will eliminate the need for traditional boarding passes and check-ins. Instead of the usual check-in process, passengers will upload their passports to their phones and pass through the airport seamlessly.
A “journey pass” will also be downloaded to the passenger’s device, continuously updated with any changes to the booking. Through facial recognition, airlines will be notified of passenger arrivals.
Depending on the type of luggage, passengers will either go through security at the bag drop (for checked luggage) or at the pre-security gates (for carry-on luggage).
Valerie Viale, director of product management at Amadeus, the world’s largest travel technology company, discussed these significant changes with The Times: “Many airline systems haven’t changed for more than 50 years; the last major upgrade was the adoption of e-ticketing in the early 2000s.”
These plans will require a substantial upgrade to airport infrastructure, including the installation of facial recognition technology and systems capable of reading passports from mobile devices.
Such infrastructure upgrades are challenging for airports due to the global nature of the industry and the complexity of interconnected systems, such as connecting flights, delays, and disruptions.
Digital ‘Journey Pass’ Under the current system, passengers book a flight, and check-in opens 24 or 48 hours prior to departure. Passport details are then entered, and a seat is assigned. The new “Journey Pass” will allow passengers to download all relevant booking details, including additional services like car rentals. To address privacy concerns, the system will automatically delete passenger details within 15 seconds of contact with touchpoints, such as security gates.
Additionally, passengers will receive preemptive notifications about delays in connecting flights, with push notifications sent to update them with new flight details.
In the future, passengers will have the option to share their location with the airline, enabling the airline to send directions to the departure gate or offer information about lounge access options. This technology will also allow passengers to purchase cabin upgrades once onboard. Airline partners, including car hire companies, will be alerted about passenger delays. Integration of luggage tracking is also anticipated.
