Flying without a boarding pass: How a “Journey Pass” is supposed to change everything

A lot has changed for travelers at airports in recent years. Fewer and fewer people are checking in at the counter – partly because it costs a lot for some airlines. Printed boarding passes are often replaced by digital ones on mobile phones, and yet the process from arriving at the airport to getting on the plane is still long and sometimes nerve-wracking.

However, if the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) plans to implement this, this will change in the future. This includes, among other things, a so-called "Journey Pass." Here's what the ID document is supposed to change and why it's also being criticized.

Valérie Viale of the travel technology company Amadeus described the plans of ICAO, the UN agency responsible for developing aviation policy, as the biggest change in 50 years. "The last major change was the introduction of e-ticketing in the early 2000s," Viale continued. There have been few changes in airport technology in recent years, as it's important for international air travel to operate consistently.

Now there is to be a new, uniform system with a digital “Journey Pass” that will make flying easier for many travelers.

Essentially, it's intended to be a digital travel document that combines all important information and operates fully automatically. Anyone booking a flight uploads it directly to their "Journey Pass" upon booking, along with their passport details and a biometric photo. Equipped with this data, the "Journey Pass" replaces the ticket and passport, eliminating the need for check-in.

Airlines will be automatically informed via surveillance cameras and the data stored on the document as soon as passengers enter the airport. If there are any changes to the flight or the traveler's entire booked connection, the updated information will be sent directly to the "Journey Pass" and the corresponding mobile phone.

Long queues at check-in should be a thing of the past with the new system.

Source: IMAGO/Rupert Oberhäuser

On the one hand, this will enable air travelers to be informed about changes to their flights more quickly and easily. For example, if they miss a connecting flight through no fault of their own, the new connection will be loaded directly into their passport. On the other hand, the entire process at the airport will be faster and queues shorter.

It is not yet known how exactly the system for the digital “Journey Pass” will be used by travelers on their mobile phones.

A central component of the "Journey Pass" will be automatic facial recognition check-in. This is being introduced at more and more airports around the world . Singapore, Thailand, Dubai, and even some airports in the US and Germany (Frankfurt and Munich) are already partially using it. According to statistics from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), more and more travelers would like to use it for added convenience.

Although some of the necessary technology is already in place, the introduction of the "Journey Pass" system is likely to take some time. According to ICAO, a period of around three years is realistic to give airports and airlines time to adapt. However, the period could be extended for smaller regional airports, as the transition will likely require significant investment in some locations.

However, the increasing digitalization of the flight experience is also accompanied by criticism from data protection organizations. The storage of biometric data and location verification are sensitive data that would have to be shared without any real control over it.

To prevent this, passenger data will be automatically deleted 15 seconds after it has been used at the airport, according to the company. Further data protection measures are planned.

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