Passengers will no longer need this travel essential to fly as industry plans major shake-up

One vital traveling essential may become obsolete.The aviation industry is planning its biggest shake-up in 50 years — and part of the major overhaul means no more boarding passes or checking in for flights.The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations body that oversees many aspects of aviation, is getting rid of the existing rules for airports and airlines and instead creating a “digital travel credential,” The UK Times reported.With the new policy, passengers can upload their passports and passport information to their phones and move through airports using just their face for identification.The form of verification will be available within “two to three years,” and checking in for flights online or at the airport will become a thing of the past.“These changes are the biggest in 50 years,” Valérie Viale, director of product management at Amadeus, the world’s largest travel technology company, told The Times.“Many airline systems haven’t changed for more than 50 years because everything has to be consistent across the industry and interoperable.Currently, air travelers are required to check in for their flight either online or once they get to the airport, where they receive a boarding pass with a barcode that is scanned at security and the gate before boarding.Under the new plan, travelers will be issued a “journey pass” on their phones when a flight is booked, which will automatically update if any changes are made to the booking.

The pass will also contain all passport details.With no check-in, a passenger’s face will be scanned when they arrive at the airport, alerting the airline of their intention to fly.That will occur at the bag drop-off for those checking luggage, and for those with just a carry-on, it will happen at security checkpoints.Flyers would then board the aircraft simply with biometric data since their passport will be in their journey pass.

They would be able to go through the airport with...