Airports are preparing to eliminate boarding passes and check-in

Airports could soon eliminate traditional boarding passes and check-in processes under new rules being developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN agency responsible for airline policy.

The plan centers around a "digital travel credential," also called a "journey pass," which travelers would download to their smartphones when they book a flight. Passport details, boarding passes, and check-ins would be handled automatically, removing the need for physical documents or manual steps.

Biometric verification would also become a key part of the process. Using a biometric passport stored on their phones, passengers would be able to check bags, pass through security, and board flights simply by scanning their faces, without showing a physical passport or ticket.

Valerie Viale of travel technology company Amadeus said:

“The last major shift in aviation was the move to e-ticketing in the early 2000s. The industry has decided it’s time to adopt more modern systems."

ICAO expects full adoption of the new system could happen within two to three years.

However, some experts are skeptical about how quickly it can be rolled out. Aside from privacy concerns and data storage, integrating biometric systems across different countries could prove complicated. One industry observer compared the challenges ahead to the U.S. Real ID program, which remains only partially implemented nearly two decades after it became law.

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