The END of boarding passes in South African airports is nigh

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If you think boarding passes in South African airports are positively outdated, you are not alone. How needless is it to sometimes print one, or try use your mobile device that never scans correctly?

Nevertheless, newly proposed airport processes could make boarding passes in South African airports a thing of the past. In fact, not just locally, but all around the globe. Here’s what authorities envisage …

NO MORE BOARDING PASSES IN SOUTH AFRICAN AIRPORTS

The proposal is the brainchild of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and it puts forth that boarding passes in South African airports be replaced by a Digital Travel Credential (DTC). How will this work exactly?

Essentially, the DTC assumes that every traveler has a smartphone with facial recognigtion technology. It will be an app, of sorts, that employs facial recognition technology to verify traveler identities every step of the way on your journey. Therefore, you will be able to move through an airport without stopping or showing a travel document/visa/boarding pass.

FASTER AND SAFER

International travellers will benefit hugely from the seamless DTC experience. Image: File

Key to the ICAO’s proposal to end boarding passes in South African airports is safety and efficiency. It believes the seamless airport experience will cut down on fraud and speed up airport processes across the board. �

Andy Smith of the Societe Internationale de Teleco m munications Aeronautiques (SITA) told 702 that DTC implementation is not just a pipe dream, it is within reach. SITA is the main developer of the technology and is working closely with ICAO on its rollout.

COMFORT OF HOME

“All journeys, especially international ones, require identity documents, travel authorisations, visas and arrival and departure dates. But what we’ve been developing over the last number of years is the ability for travellers to do a lot of this processing away from the airport,” said Smith.

Furthermore, the DTC will allow fliers to create a digital copy of their passport on their smartphone that complies with internationally recognised standards so that governments around the world can trust it. So, before you even set out for the airport, you know that you have completed all the necessary processes.