Slowly but surely, an international flight is getting easier and saving us time.
While Global Entry has become a huge time saver for U.S. citizens returning from overseas, Airlines have rolled out other things to make the whole “international flight” process easier.
The most recent? American Airlines is now able to scan the chip in your passport, which eliminates the need for the gate agent to scan your passport before you board the plane. And that, they say, will save time.
From American Airlines’ Newsroom:
Checking in for an international flight just got easier as American Airlines launches passport scanning in its mobile app. American is the first airline to offer passport chip scanning that securely transmits passport information directly from the Near Field Communication (NFC) chip embedded in the passport. This allows customers to head directly to the gate for international flights without having their passports rechecked by a customer service agent.
The new system was introduced on the American Airlines app early last month.
How does it work?
When you check in on the American app 24 hours before your international flight, you’ll be asked to enter some basic passport information. After that, you can use your smartphone to scan the chip on the back page of the passport. That info will be sent to the airline. All the instructions for this will be on the app ad will be easy to follow, as per AA.
PC: American Airlines
You’ll still need to show your passport to the gate agent while boarding, but you won’t have to open it to the correct page or get it scanned. That’ll save time and help towards an on-time takeoff.
“We are continuously adding features to our app to make travel easier and worry-free for our customers,” said Maya Leibman, American’s Chief Information Officer. “Mobile passport scanning removes a time-consuming step, providing our customers with a smoother check-in experience for international flights.
This newly introduced feature can currently only be used if there’s one person on the reservation. However, American Airlines plans to expand the feature for groups, families, etc. in the future.
American Airlines is the first airline to offer this feature on their mobile app.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
