New App Fast-tracks Passport Control
App-Port Solutions
 |
| Via Daily Mail |
Passport control can be a real pain, lines at the airport
are irritating enough to negotiate when you’re just getting on or off the
plane, but throw in the added barricade of a form about declarations and
whatnot and suddenly a mildly irritating queue becomes an agonising ordeal,
especially if you’re on a return journey and so ravaged with jetlag that anyone
standing too near you is running the risk of being beaten to death with a
baggage trolley.
Well guess what? Now there’s an app for that! Passport
control, not beating people to death with baggage trolleys. U.S. Customs and
Border Protection have introduced an app which allows passengers to enter
passport and declaration information into their smartphones or tablets, then just scan through as they
go through arrivals. On Tuesday Miami International Airport became the second
commercial airport in the US to implement the system, it having previously been
field tested in Atlanta.
The iOS/Android app is available for free to any US citizen
with a valid passport, as well as Canadian citizens with a valid Canadian
passport and either a B1 or B2 visa. Once you have it, you set up a profile
with your passport details and some basic information, a selfie (which you’re
actually allowed to smile for, it would seem) and a pin code, and then when you
arrive at your destination you fill out the necessary information and just scan
through. Users are directed through a dedicated (and presumably much faster)
lane out of customs. You still need your actual passport though, before you do anything drastic. Seriously, put those scissors down.
Some concerns have been raised about privacy, but the app
developers have made assurances that all the information is encrypted. Of
course, it’s all well and good if you fly in and out of MIA or ATL on a regular
basis, but for everyone else, it’ll need to get introduced nationwide (or even
globally) before it’s really worth anything. At the rate it’s catching on
though, I doubt it’ll be too long before that happens. Hopefully after that
they can move on to developing an app that stops your luggage from ending up on
the wrong plane.
Callum Davies
Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @CallumAtSMF
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New App Fast-tracks Passport Control
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Friday, March 06, 2015
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Friday, March 06, 2015
Rating:
Unknown
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