The days of racing across an airport parking lot or anxiously looking for your boarding pass in order to make it in time for flight check-in might soon be over. By adopting digital travel credentials, also known as a “journey pass,” the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN organization in charge of creating airline policy, has suggested new principles that will upend the current regulations for airports and airlines.
Passengers would be able to keep important travel data on their smartphones with the pass. The Times reported that the modifications might be implemented in three years.
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The modifications would eliminate the requirement to check in for flights and boarding permits. When booking a flight, passengers will instead download a “journey pass” on their phone. If the reservation is altered, the pass will be updated automatically.
According to Valérie Viale, Director of Product Management at Amadeus, the changes may be the largest to hit the aviation sector in fifty years, as she told the Times.
At every touchpoint, her company’s system processes passenger biometrics and deletes all personal information in 15 seconds.
Viale claims that the advent of e-ticketing in the 2000s was the final significant improvement to the worldwide aviation industry.
How do digital credentials operate?
ICAO has been developing plans to digitize air travel, especially with Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs), for at least the last few years. The ICAO published “High-Level Guidance: Explaining the ICAO Digital Travel Credentials” in December 2024, outlining the idea and preparation of DTCs. Pilot projects have lately been suggested as the idea has gained traction.
The paper claims that the primary function of the ICAO DTC is the ability for authorities to validate the integrity and authenticity of passport data by examining a digital representation of the data before to the traveler’s arrival.
ICAO said the DTC could enable Enhanced screening capabilities (travel authorisation processing and pre-arrival screening) via the collection of accurate and trusted information, including facial biometrics, in advance of travel; Support increasingly efficient border processes by expanding automated and biometrically-enabled processes and faster and more convenient experiences for travellers.
UAE airports
Airports in the UAE, including Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, have made significant strides in adopting digital boarding passes and getting rid of long check-in queues.
Emirates Airlines has mandated that most passengers leaving Dubai use a mobile boarding pass rather than a printed paper one since 2023. Upon checking in at Terminal 3, passengers are emailed or texted their mobile boarding pass.
Travelers can also use DXB’s self-check-in kiosks to check in, choose their seats, enter their frequent flyer number, and receive a mobile boarding ticket by an SMS link or email.
Issues and difficulties
However, there have also been some objections to the proposal. The installation of facial recognition cameras, mobile passport scanners, and real-time data synchronization systems are just a few of the major infrastructure upgrades that airports, particularly the smaller ones, will need to make in order to accommodate the new system, according to media reports. This might be a costly experience.
According to an IDTechWire study, there are also worries about possible exclusion for tourists who do not own smartphones or who are uneasy using facial recognition technology.
Amadeus addressed security concerns by telling The Guardian that it has created a system that erases passenger information within 15 seconds of each interaction with a “touchpoint,” like the pre-security gates.