Star Alliance is adopting a standard travel documentation verification system for all its member airlines.
Timatic AutoCheck enables passengers, airlines and travel professionals to access accurate and clearly worded immigration information.
The user-friendly online solution enables passengers to check they comply with all immigration requirements before setting off to the airport.
Verifying passengers’ travel documentation is one of the more time-consuming tasks which will benefit from further automation.
Star Alliance expects to check the travel documents of over 340 million passengers a year using Timatic AutoCheck.
Timatic AutoCheck
Timatic AutoCheck can be integrated into airline reservation and departure control systems (DCS) as well as distribution systems used by travel agencies and online booking platforms.
Significant features include:
- Simplified Regulatory Content
Timatic AutoCheck includes simplified and user-friendly worded travel regulations, making them easier to understand. Passengers don’t need to know terminologies or read through complex regulations as the information is provided concisely.
- Interactive Data-Driven Approach
The system guides users through each step of the compliance process, ensuring they possess all required documents and meet the entry requirements. Users can input their travel details and receive personalized responses.
- Practical Recommendations
Timatic AutoCheck offers more than just information; it gives answers. Whether checking visa requirements, health regulations or entry restrictions, users receive instructions on how to proceed and comply with regulations.
- Enhanced Automation
Airlines can incorporate the new Timatic AutoCheck into their self-service systems enabling passengers to independently verify their travel documents and compliance status through the various check-in options on offer.
More about Star Alliance
All Star Alliance passengers can now pay to use the lounge at Amsterdam
Star Alliance Biometrics launched at Frankfurt and Munich
Star Alliance now using biometrics at Hamburg Airport
Supplier
IATA runs Timatic Autocheck. They introduced it in December 2023 to replace the Timatic system used by the industry for decades.
Timatic performs more than a billion passenger document checks annually. So accuracy of the information is key. For this, IATA relies on a variety of sources, including governments, airlines, and airports.
Users have been using Timatic for decades to get with information on the required documentation for international travel.
The Timatic manual used to be essential on every check-in desk and, when automation was making big progress, SITA won an industry process to automate the Timatic manual.
IATA Global Passenger Survey 2023
IATA’s most recent Global Passenger Survey (GPS) revealed that complex visa requirements deter passengers who want a convenient, digital online visa process. The survey says that many are willing to share their travel document information for faster airport immigration procedures.
- 36% of passengers said they have been discouraged from travelling to a particular destination because of the immigration requirements.
- Where visas are required, 66% of passengers want to obtain a visa online prior to travel.
- 87% of passengers indicated they would share their immigration information to speed up the airport arrival process, representing an increase from the 83% reported in 2022.
IATA surveyed passengers in 2023 with 8,000 respondents across 200 countries. That’s an average of 40 respondents per country.
