Most of us, me included, live by our Smartphones. In fact with the exception of my passport, certain International visas and my driving licence, I think I’d be able to travel and survive anywhere in the world on just my phone.
Now, Miami Airport (MIA) and their bespoke App, have taken a step in the direction of enabling all of us to be (nearly) document free!
MIA Airport Official App
Yesterday, Miami Airport issued a press release that was music to my ears – A large travel organisation/hub utilising the latest available technologies to enhance the customer experience at their airport!
Anyone who has travelled into the US before will know the queues at customs can be awful! Now MIA has upgraded their already great airport app with a new feature, aimed at making customs a slightly less stressful experience.
Passport Clearance at MIA
At present the following is only open to US and Canadian Visitors, but I’m covering this with the hope it is soon rolled out, either to other airports, or added to the airlines own apps!
A new update to the current MIA Airport app allows you to quickly pass through customs and passport control with just a few taps of your screen.
The new version, available on Android and iOS, makes Mobile Passport control a reality, and unique to Miami airport having it built in directly to their own App. Which is now the first airport in the world authorized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to integrate Mobile Passport Control into its mobile application.
It is also easy and free to use! You can enter your passport information in manually or by scanning it. You can even set up a profile for each family member under the one app/device, making family travel a breeze at one of the busiest airports in the US.
Once this is done the app requests to take a photo for each profile you have set up, and finally asks you the usual CBP questions that are asked when returning into the US.
After this process has been completed a digital receipt is created which you then use at one of the dedicated Mobile Passport Control entry lanes.
There has been a similar option in operation at 18 US airports (ATL, BWI, BOS, ORD, DEN, FLL, MIA, MSP, JFK, EWR, MCO, RDU, SFO, SJC, SEA, TPA and IAD) already called ‘Mobile Passport’. However this is a standalone app, but similar in use.
I hope this technology catches on quickly and we see it rolled out at major hub airports around the world soon. We all hate queuing, but it always seems worse in airports!