Schiphol experiment: Digital passport halved the time travelers spent at airport checks

An experiment with a digital passport app at Schiphol this spring was a success. On average, travelers boarded and disembarked twice as quickly as with a regular passport, Parool reports.

For three months, 1,500 travelers flew between Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands and Montreal Airport in Canada with Digital Travel Credentials (DTC). They had to scan the chip in their passport up to three days before their flight, fill in a list of details, and take a strictly prescribed selfie and video - to show that they were alive. Behind the scenes, the authorities checked the details and any issues could be sorted out before even arriving at the airport.

After a successful digital check, users received a digital admission ticket. They could pass through passport control at the airports and board the plane at the gate simply by showing their faces. However, they still had to carry their physical passports with them.

The first results show that, on average, travelers spent half as much time at airport checks on both departure and arrival. Only one incorrect digital pass was intercepted during the trial. According to the researchers, the DTC pass also relieves the burden on passport inspectors, who have to check fewer travelers and, therefore, have more time to do so.

The experiment has been years in the making, involving the UN aviation organization Icao, the Dutch and Canadian governments, both airports, and airlines KLM and Air Canada. Paperwork disagreements over legal and privacy matters impacted the size of the trial. The initial plan was that 5,000 people would test the system, but ultimately, only 1,500 people could download the necessary app. Of these, 763 travelers actually obtained a digital pass.

Many could not get a digital pass because the chip in their paper passport did not respond properly. On average, it took 2.5 attempts to scan the chip with a smartphone. Taking a good selfie and demonstrating that they were alive also proved to be an obstacle to many travelers. The researchers called these issues teething problems.

The Icao hopes that the DTC will ultimately be used at all major international airports, according to the same standards. Just like physical passports are currently used.