Here are 10 key points about Thailand’s new passport-free travel system:
- Passport-Free Boarding: Starting Friday, six major airports in Thailand will allow travelers to board without needing a passport or boarding pass, using facial recognition technology.
- Airports Included: The system will be introduced at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang (Bangkok), Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, and Hat Yai airports.
- Domestic Flights First: Initially, the passport-free system is available only for domestic flights but will expand to international flights by December 1.
- Biometric Identification: The new system uses facial recognition technology, which matches passengers’ faces with their stored travel and identification data.
- Easy Check-In: To use the system, passengers must authorize access to their identification data at the check-in counter or during self-check-in.
- Seamless Gate-to-Gate Process: Once registered, travelers can move from baggage drop-off to boarding without showing a passport or boarding pass again.
- Single-Trip Registration: Each registration is valid for one trip only, so travelers will need to go through the process for each journey.
- Following Singapore’s Example: This development follows a similar biometric identification system implemented at Singapore’s Changi Airport.
- Future of Contactless Travel: Experts predict that more airports globally will adopt contactless, biometric-based checks in the coming years.
- Enhanced Passenger Convenience: The new system aims to simplify and speed up the airport experience, reducing the need to rummage for documents at multiple checkpoints.
Starting Friday, travelers at six major airports in Thailand can now enjoy a more streamlined experience with passport-free boarding, thanks to a new facial recognition system. This move follows Singapore’s recent adoption of similar biometric technology, aimed at making security and boarding processes easier for passengers.
The new system will be introduced initially for domestic flights at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, as well as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, and Hat Yai airports. According to Kirati Kitmanawat, Director of the Airport Authority of Thailand, the technology will expand to international flights by December 1.
To use this service, passengers will need to authorize the use of their identification details when checking in, either at staffed counters or self-service kiosks. Their biometric data, along with flight information, will then be stored electronically, allowing them to proceed from baggage drop-off to boarding without needing to show their passport or boarding pass. However, each registration is specific to a single trip, meaning it must be repeated for future flights.
This passport-free system marks a significant step forward in contactless travel, aligning Thailand with a growing trend in major airports around the world. For instance, Singapore’s Changi Airport recently rolled out a similar system, allowing residents to travel without passports. Although tourists and transit passengers in Singapore still need to present their passports, all departing travelers can now benefit from the contactless experience.
As the technology becomes more widespread, experts expect many more airports to embrace facial recognition for seamless, paperless travel.
Also Read: India-Russia Tourism Ties: Visa-Free Entry for Indians Starting Spring 2025
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