United Airlines app can now scan your passport for international flights.
Even if you can check in online, you still have to show your passport somewhere at the airport if you’re flying international. United Airlines wants to do away with that step, though, so the company has updated its iOS and Android app with the capability to scan passports on your own. When you check in within 24 hours of departure, you’ll have the option to scan your passport using the phone’s camera, like how you’d take pictures of a check for a mobile deposit. A third party (specifically, a credentials management service called Jumio) still has to verify your document, but so long as everything’s in order, you can get a printable boarding pass. Sadly, you can’t have everything — if you’re traveling to a place that requires a visa, you’ll still have to line up at the airport. In addition to the new scanning feature, the updated apps now also display when boarding time ends, so you don’t spend more time at the gates than you need to.
– Engadget
08.07.2014