A sweeping overhaul in the aviation industry is poised to eliminate one of the most familiar steps in air travel — checking in for a flight. Under a plan spearheaded by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations agency responsible for global aviation standards, travelers could soon say goodbye to physical boarding passes and traditional check-in procedures altogether.
According to The Times UK, ICAO is working to replace current airport and airline protocols with a unified system based on a “digital travel credential.” This credential would allow travelers to upload their passport data to a mobile device and use facial recognition as their only form of identification throughout the airport. The change is expected to take effect within two to three years, and once implemented, passengers will no longer need to manually check in or present a boarding pass at any point.
The End of the Boarding Pass Era
For decades, passengers have had to check in online or at airport kiosks to obtain a boarding pass containing a barcode, which is scanned at security and the boarding gate. The new plan would replace this entirely. When a passenger books a flight, a “journey pass” will be generated and stored on their phone. This pass would include their passport information and automatically update with any changes to the itinerary.
The use of facial recognition would serve as the only verification needed. For passengers with checked baggage, a face scan would occur at the bag drop-off. For those traveling light with carry-ons, the verification would happen at security. Either way, the scan would notify the airline that the passenger has arrived and is ready to board.
Valérie Viale, director of product management at Amadeus — one of the largest travel tech companies globally — explained, “These changes are the biggest in 50 years. Many airline systems haven’t changed for more than 50 years because everything has to be consistent across the industry and interoperable.”
What Airports Must Change to Make It Work
To bring this concept to life, airports worldwide would need to undergo significant technological upgrades. New infrastructure would include facial recognition systems and the ability to read passport data from mobile devices. The Times noted that the identity verification would happen in real time without retaining any biometric data, minimizing security risks. One Mile at a Time, a travel site following the development closely, reported that a system is already in place to erase passenger data within 15 seconds of it being used at an airport checkpoint.
The initiative is expected to streamline airport navigation and offer travelers greater convenience. If a flight is delayed, canceled, or rebooked, the journey pass would update automatically. Instead of needing to recheck in, passengers would simply proceed to the new gate and board their flight using facial recognition.
Skepticism Remains Over Implementation Timeline
While the technology appears to be ready, some industry experts are questioning whether the ambitious timeline is realistic. One Mile at a Time expressed doubt over whether a two-to-three-year rollout is achievable, writing, “There’s no denying that this could happen, and that the technology is there for this to become a reality. The question is just about the timeline, given the scale of this project.”
The last time the airline industry underwent a transformation of similar magnitude was during the early 2000s with the introduction of e-ticketing. Viale noted, “The industry has now decided it’s time to upgrade to modern systems that are more like what Amazon would use.”
A New Era in Air Travel Is Approaching
The aviation industry appears committed to replacing legacy systems with a seamless digital process aimed at making air travel faster and more secure. As ICAO and global airports push forward with this ambitious plan, passengers should prepare for a travel experience that may soon rely solely on their smartphones and their face.