When traveling by air, the face will soon replace the boarding pass

Air travel has become more and more normal again in the last few months. While in the United States more and more airlines took off again at the turn of the year, in this country there was again some operation in the airspace with the Whitsun holidays. Thanks to a cooperation between the Star Alliance, NEC and SITA, traveling could soon become even more comfortable and safer.

We have already reported to you a few times about SITA, the IT service provider for the aviation industry. The company has wanted to digitize air travel for decades, and in 2019 I was able to speak to Michael Urbaner, Vice President for Sales. With the new collaboration, the face should become the boarding pass, at the same time only one registration is necessary.

This agreement is critical to further scale our biometric service. The associated advantages, speed and fulfillment of customer expectations ensure a more contactless and hygienically safer experience for all of our member airlines. Biometrics is a key element of this experience as well as our strategy to lead the digitization of passenger travel. Jeffrey Goh, CEO of Star Alliance

Because once you have registered, you can use the biometric boarding pass across multiple airports and airlines. So you no longer have to laboriously identify yourself with your passport and boarding pass, your face is sufficient. The corresponding platform should also recognize travelers when they are wearing a mask. An absolute must in Corona times.

In addition to comfort, security also increases in times of pandemic. With the biometric boarding pass and the Solutions dubbed “Smart Path” contacts are to be reduced and hygiene in general improved. In the next few years, flying could be even easier, more digitized, more convenient and more hygienic.

Passengers have long enjoyed control and speed. Automation integrates these benefits into the passenger journey – a trend that was further accelerated by COVID-19. This agreement extends the benefits of biometric identity from a single airline or trip to a vast network of airlines. This is really unique and shows what advantages digital identity can bring to the passenger. Barbara Dalibard, SITA CEO