Pre-pandemic, passengers spend 1.5 hours on average to process their entire journey. This will include check-in, security, border control, customs, and claiming of baggage. This time around, travelers have to wait an average of three hours to complete all these processes. For the International Air transport Association (IATA), it’s time for airports to go for digital adoption.
Digital adoption will make it easier to check the travel health credentials of passengers. Based on recent numbers, checking travel health credentials takes most of the time since most are mainly paper documents.
If airports ignore digital adoption, there is a chance that the entire airport process can reach 5.5 hours per trip. And that is only at 75% of the pre-pandemic traffic level. It could reach 8 hours on average in case travel demand goes back to its pre-pandemic level.
IATA director general Willie Walsh said that “Without an automated solution for COVID19 checks, we can see the potential for significant disruptions on the horizon”. He added that “average passenger processing and waiting times have doubled from what they were pre-crisis during peak time”.
In the last two decades, technologies made it possible for travelers to shorten their travel process via self-check-in online. They make it to the airport “ready to fly”. But with paper documents, it forces travelers to revert to manual check-ins.
Aside from the fact that digital technology can make the process smoother for airports, it can also prevent fraud. Since the pandemic started, there were cases where travelers faked their COVID19 test results.
But is it easy to adopt digital technology for airports? The G7 meeting which will happen on June 11 will give governments the chance to discuss details surrounding digital adoption. Leaders will also talk about vaccine certificates that meet WHO Smart Vaccine Certificate data standards. Another agenda at the G7 meeting this month is accepting digital COVID19 test and vaccine certificates at each country’s border.
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