IATA eases airline access to biometric services with Contactless Travel Directory

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its Contactless Travel Directory to help quickly scale and increase adoption of contactless travel solutions. This resource is designed help airlines identify and offer contactless travel at specific airports, including with their partner airlines.

Contactless travel uses interoperable biometric solutions to enable travelers to move through the travel process without relying on paper documentation such as passports or boarding passes. Parts of the travel process that could be made more efficient with contactless travel include bag drop, lounge access, security access, security screening and boarding.

The Contactless Travel Directory includes: a single reference point for airlines to determine the availability of biometric travel touchpoints across their network; traveler eligibility information by location, so airlines know which travelers will be eligible for contactless services using biometric identification; and, technical protocols airlines need to connect with other airline or airport biometric touchpoints.

“As travelers expect ever greater efficiency, biometric recognition technology is taking on a growing role in facilitating travel,” explains Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President, Operations, Safety and Security. “This directory, along IATA’s One ID initiative, aim to accelerate that transition with critical data and global standards.”

Idemia Public Security, AirWare and iPassport are among the first to demonstrate directory use cases at the Passenger Terminal Expo this week in Madrid. Attendees can experience enrolling and checking in for a fictitious flight using the WorldJet Airline App, and pass through the biometric touchpoints at IDEMIA booths.

“We are excited to demonstrate the IATA’s Contactless Travel Directory to further enable contactless travel using IDEMIA’s advanced and secure biometric-based technologies,” says Tim Ferris, Senior Vice President, Travel & Transport, IDEMIA Public Security. “IDEMIA is deeply committed towards streamlining the travel process for travelers across the globe, and we’re excited to continue our work with IATA, as a long-standing strategic partner, to continue increasing the adoption of contactless travel across the world.”

Article Topics

airports  |  biometrics  |  contactless biometrics  |  digital identity  |  digital travel  |  Idemia Public Security  |  International Air Transport Association  |  passenger processing