Passengers with a US or Canadian passport travelling on international flights operated by Alaska Airlines can now verify their passport is valid for travel before they reach the airport and without needing to show it to an airline customer service agent using a digital identity stored on their smartphone.

The airline’s Mobile Verify service enables users to create and store a digital identity on their Apple or Android device by taking a selfie and scanning their passport photo page and NFC chip.

They can then confirm to the airline that they have a passport valid for international travel via Mobile Verify on the Airside Digital Identity app by entering their flight details and consenting to share their digital identity with Alaska Airlines.

“Every traveller leaving or entering the United States is required to have their passport verified by their airline,” Alaska Airlines explains.

“Beginning today, guests travelling internationally on Alaska flights and using US or Canadian passports have the option to use our new Mobile Verify program. This means no longer needing to wait in line in the lobby or at the gate to have a customer service agent check your documents — you can take care of this step safely and securely from the comfort of your home ahead of time.

“Eventually, guests will be able to flow through every airport touchpoint without having to take out identification documents, simply by controlling their digital identity on their smartphone.”

A short video shows how the Mobile Verify service works:

Finland began testing digital passports for contactless cross-border travel in August. 

Next: Visit the NFCW Expo to find new suppliers and solutions