Amadeus and Lufthansa complete EUDI Wallet testing for travel

Travel technology company Amadeus and air carrier Lufthansa have announced they have successfully completed tests in using the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet for the travel industry.

During the Phase 3 testing, the EUDI Wallet was integrated with Amadeus software to support the online check-in process, bag drop, pre-security check and flight boarding. Test subjects, for instance, were invited to check in for a flight by simply providing documents stored in the wallet, instead of manually entering passport details on an airline’s website.

The Phase 3 test of EUDI Wallets for end-to-end seamless travel by Amadeus and Lufthansa was announced in July, and EWC advisor Annet Steenbergen cited it as an example of of how digital identity providers and the travel industry are working together to operationalize new ID data sharing methods.

Later this year, Amadeus plans to test the digital wallet for other travel uses, including airport security, immigration and border control. Some of them will rely on biometric enrollment.

Travelers, for instance, will be able to share the biometric information stored within the digital wallet with an airline or airport. This eliminates the need to scan their faces or their documents to use biometric e-gates at the airport.

Travelers will also be able to simply tap their phones or do a biometric face scan instead of presenting physical documents at check-in desks, self-service kiosks, bag drop machines and boarding gates.

At the border, instead of scanning their physical passport at immigration e-gates, travelers can tap their phones to share credentials. The wallet will also be used for payments.

“Digital identity is the missing piece of the jigsaw for truly seamless travel,” says Rudy Daniello, the company’s executive vice president of AirOps. “With facial recognition technology being installed at airports, the border, cruise terminals, and even hotels, it won’t be long before travelers can breeze through every step in their journey without the need to present a passport or other documents.”

Amadeus plans to offer its Travel Ready platform as a white label app for travel companies and airports. The app digitalizes and verifies documents such as passports, visas and ID cards. The app also provides infrastructure for third-party wallets like the EUDI Wallet.

The testing was completed as part of a Large Scale Pilot conducted by the EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium (EWC). The consortium has been piloting digital identity in the form of digital travel and payment credentials with the help of all 27 EU Member States and dozens of partners, including Visa, Digidentity, and Yubico.

EWC announced last week that it has finished its work and will start to close its operations. The consortium received positive feedback from external experts and the European Commission for its work.

But work continues on thorny details, including how the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Digital Travel Credentials (DTC) and the EUDI Wallet will be combined, as noted last year by Steenbergen. Meanwhile DC4EU is trying to answer similar questions outside of the travel sector with its own cross-border EUDI Wallet pilots.

Article Topics

Amadeus  |  digital travel  |  digital travel credentials  |  digital wallet  |  document verification  |  EU Digital Identity Wallet  |  EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium (EWC)  |  selfie biometrics