Ready to Fly will streamline the airport experience

Due to new industry standards, document checks will no longer require passengers to wait at boarding gates and check-in offices, resulting in a more streamlined travel experience at airports.

The 'Ready to Fly' option is made possible by the new industry standards set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

With the IATA's Recommended Practice on Digitalization of Admissibility, travellers will be able to confirm their admissibility to their destination digitally. 

Through the Digitalization of Admissibility standard, travellers will be able to digitally get the essential pre-travel authorizations directly from governments in advance of their journey, furthering the implementation of One ID. With reliable entry requirement data for airlines and travellers, IATA's Timatic product is contributing to the realisation of the One ID goal.

The passenger's experience can be further streamlined with the introduction of One ID, which allows for the sharing of information in advance and a contactless process at the airport based on biometric recognition. Before boarding, passengers will be able to use basic biometric recognition at each airport touchpoint to verify their identity and confirm they are eligible to travel.

Once the passengers receive the "OK to Fly" status, it will be communicated to the airport, and they are exempt from undergoing any further document checks prior to boarding.

The goal of implementing a single form of identification is to provide travellers with a unified, stress-free travel experience across different airlines, airports, and governments.

The following advantages can be realised with One ID:

Prior to departure, passengers will have the option of providing airlines, airports, and governments with the bare minimum data required from digital identities. Then, ready-to-fly passengers will arrive at the airport for their flights.

By automating procedures, airlines may reduce expenses and concentrate on providing customers with greater value-added services. Additionally, airlines can benefit from the use of digital identity because it will improve the quality of passenger data and, consequently, lower fines associated with incorrect data entry prior to passenger information processing.

By allowing governments to acquire accurate passenger information, including biometrics, in advance and use it for pre-screening, they will boost border security and improve facilitation. It will also aid in the fight against human trafficking and other transnational criminal activity.

Passengers, airlines, airports, governments, and everyone else involved in a passenger's beginning-to-ending journey will all benefit from using One ID.

Protecting passengers' personal information and keeping transportation available to all are two primary goals of the newly established standards.

As per IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety, and Security Nick Careen:

“Passengers want technology to make travel simpler. By enabling passengers to prove their admissibility to their airline before they get to the airport, we are taking a major step forward.”

Careen continued: “The recent IATA Global Passenger survey found that 83% of travellers are willing to share immigration information for expedited processing. That is why we are confident this will be a popular option for travellers when it is implemented. And there is good incentive for airlines and governments as well with improved data quality, streamlined resourcing requirements and identification of admissibility issues before passengers get to the airport,”

The passengers can still control the sharing of their data. Only verified credentials are transferred without an intermediary. This complies with the Digital Travel Credential and other ICAO-mandated criteria.

The digitalised procedure will eventually allow travellers to perform the following:

• Make a secure online profile by using their phone's airline app.
• Obtain an electronic "approval of admittance" in their passport/identity app.
• Pre-arrange all necessary papers with officials at their destination by using their digital identity.
• Give the airline the verified ID
• Travel to the airport after receiving approval to do so from their airline.

Travellers who prefer not to use the automated digital admissibility processing will still have the opportunity to do so using the previously available manual processing methods.

As of the moment, travellers still need to go through different airport procedures to prove their admissibility. With the new Digitalization of Admissibility standard and its prerequisites, the goal of having passengers arrive at airports ready to fly is one step closer to fulfilment.

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