Digital ID

[klfrodo]

Since TSA now accepts Digital ID, and airlines now accept Digital ID as proof of valid passport prior to boarding an international flight,,, I’m wondering when cruise lines will accept Digital ID at check in for boarding.

[Hlitner]

51 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

Since TSA now accepts Digital ID, and airlines now accept Digital ID as proof of valid passport prior to boarding an international flight,,, I’m wondering when cruise lines will accept Digital ID at check in for boarding.

I think you are confusing a few things.  TSA (and in a few cases a private contractor) is all about getting you through the USA airport security requirements.  However, that does not replace the need for a valid Passport for most International destinations or flights.  

 

Too many cruisers think of the so-called "closed loop" cruise and the related Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) as a replacement for a Passport.  But that only works for closed-loop cruises to a very limited number of countries that participate in the WHTI program (mostly found in the Caribbean).  

 

There is a big world beyond the WHTI program (which does not work for airlines).  You still need a valid Passport to fly (or take a cruise) to places such as Europe, Asia, etc.  In fact, things are about to get more complicated since much of Western Europe will soon be implementing their new European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) which is kind of like an electronic Visa (folks will apply online and pay a fee).  And that form is in ADDITION to a valid Passport.  

 

Hank

 

 

 

[klfrodo]

Well Hank, you took my initial post way past its intentional thought process. I was limiting my intentions to cruises within WHTI. I just used this process of Digital ID to depart the US (nobody saw my hardcopy passport) to Mexico. In Mexico, we did have to show hard copy passport to enter. When returning, it was all biometric. Passports never came out of my carryon. Can't think of any reason why I couldn't jump on a cruise ship in Miami and do a 7-day cruise around the Caribbean with just a Digital ID other than the cruise lines would need to adapt the technology. They are already beginning the process with biometric scanners.

 

I remember my father telling me that his dad tore up his Buck Rogers comic book because space travel was science fiction. (Unfortunately, grandpa passed a couple of months before Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon.) I remember my father telling me that a computer will never be small enough to fit in your house. And now, I hear you telling me that the world is too big for Digital ID and paperless travel. I disagree. I think we're 10 years away for 80% of our worldwide travel needs. To include any visa's, ETIAS, ETA, or any other Entry/Exit program.

 

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

Well, never say never...

 

Currently, you still need to present some sort proof of citizenship to board a cruise ship  for closed loop sailing.  Passports are the gold standard, but for those of us who are Americans on these closed loop cruises, we have the option of using different forms of citizenship proof to satisfy that requirement (US issued birth certificates, Enhanced Driver's licenses (MI, MN, NY, VT & WA only), original US Naturalization Certificate, etc.  The rest of the world needs to present passports.

 

Actually, when you think about it, the check-in agent main job is to make sure that you have the correct proof of citizenship documents.  This is the reason from the moment you arrive at a US embarkation port, you are asked to show proof that you have the documents that you need to board the cruise ship.  This means keeping your documents with you, not leaving your passport at home because you don't want to lose it.  Or, packing your passport in your luggage and then handing the luggage (and passport) to the porters and then waiting hours for your luggage to be located on the ship (along with the needed passport) and reunited with you.

 

So, until there is a gov't approved paperless option for proving citizenship, do bring, and carry with you your proof of citizenship document.  Passports are the best and easiest to use, but whatever you do use, make sure it is acceptable.  (The worst feeling is being told that your Real ID driver's license from whatever state isn't enough to get you on the cruise ship).

 

Musing from a Seattle check-in agent who has seen it all.  ; )

[klfrodo]

Here's what I can say about my recent experience using Digital ID.

My trip was to Mexico (Cabo) on Alaska Airlines.

I download the Airside App (at Alaska Airlines suggestion)

On the Airside App, I uploaded my passport. I uploaded my Washington State Enhanced driver's license. I even uploaded my vaccination records.

I then told Airside that I give them permission to send document verification to Alaska Airlines (along with my confirmation code) 72 hours prior to departure.

When I arrived at SEATAC, all hard copy documentation went into my carry-on. When I checked in, Alaska had all my documents electronically. Did not have to show hard copy of anything. 

When we went to TSA, I opened the Airside app and created a 1 time QR code. TSA read the QR code, and I passed thru security.

At the gate, there was a huge line of people where the gate agents were visually checking passports. When the line dies down, I approached and asked if I needed to be verified, they checked their records and said No. I was already verified.

 

The technology is out there. Are there bugs? Of course there are, it's new. Will it become more advanced and utilized more? Of course. Technology is always moving forward.

 

It wasn't that long ago that mobile boarding passes were a new thing. I remember being turned away at TSA at DFW for my return flight to SEA because DFW didn't have the ability to capture mobile boarding pass information. I had to get out of line, to get a hard copy boarding pass.

[Charles4515]

11 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Can't think of any reason why I couldn't jump on a cruise ship in Miami and do a 7-day cruise around the Caribbean with just a Digital ID other than the cruise lines would need to adapt the technology. They are already beginning the process with biometric scanners.

Each country would have to agree. I could see happening someday as biometric is the way to do it but some might object do to privacy. China for example uses it as a repressive measure. 

[Ashland]

I just got this Digital ID offer from Delta Airlines. Airports pilot program at ATL, DTW,LAX LGA & JFK.

[CruisingAlong4Now]

4 hours ago, klfrodo said:

It wasn't that long ago that mobile boarding passes were a new thing. I remember being turned away at TSA at DFW for my return flight to SEA because DFW didn't have the ability to capture mobile boarding pass information. I had to get out of line, to get a hard copy boarding pass.

 

Yeah, mobile boarding passes are great until they aren't.

 

On a recent trip, each leg had at least one person who tried to use a mobile boarding pass but had no battery left by the time they got to the gate.  Quick - Quick- find a charging cord and an outlet.

 

I find it much easier to print the boarding pass than use my phone.  I don't walk around an airport with my phone in my hand - it's ensconced in my personal bag. My paper boarding pass is easily folded into my pocket and readily available at security and the boarding gate.

[Charles4515]

9 minutes ago, CruisingAlong4Now said:

 

Yeah, mobile boarding passes are great until they aren't.

 

On a recent trip, each leg had at least one person who tried to use a mobile boarding pass but had no battery left by the time they got to the gate.  Quick - Quick- find a charging cord and an outlet.

 

I find it much easier to print the boarding pass than use my phone.  I don't walk around an airport with my phone in my hand - it's ensconced in my personal bag. My paper boarding pass is easily folded into my pocket and readily available at security and the boarding gate.

 

Until they are not? Seems like other peoples incompetence is not a good reason to get a paper boarding pass. I don't understand walking around airport with phone in hand. Don't need it until at the gate. There is nothing wrong with using a paper boarding pass but I don't see the point of your anecdote on this thread.

[klfrodo]

22 minutes ago, CruisingAlong4Now said:

 

Yeah, mobile boarding passes are great until they aren't.

 

On a recent trip, each leg had at least one person who tried to use a mobile boarding pass but had no battery left by the time they got to the gate.  Quick - Quick- find a charging cord and an outlet.   Not even a valid argument. There's always going to be one offs in life. I've seen people who misplaced their hard copy  boarding passes and held up the line while looking for it. Does that mean we do away with hard copies also? Of course not. That would be just silly. Besides, anyone who has traveled before knows that you always carry a back-up portable charger.

 

I find it much easier to print the boarding pass than use my phone.  I don't walk around an airport with my phone in my hand - it's ensconced in my personal bag. My paper boarding pass is easily folded into my pocket and readily available at security and the boarding gate.

And if that works for you, then by all means, keep doing it. I don't believe anyone is suggesting otherwise.

 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

 

Until they are not? Seems like other peoples incompetence is not a good reason to get a paper boarding pass. I don't understand walking around airport with phone in hand. Don't need it until at the gate. There is nothing wrong with using a paper boarding pass but I don't see the point of your anecdote on this thread.

I recently read an article, from a well known travel writer, about a pet peeve.  It is fine to use digital boarding passes, mobile passes, etc.  Most travelers do embrace this technology.  However, when it comes to using phones and electronics, things do not always have a good outcome.  There are the dead batteries, missing phones, apps that crash, etc.  I cannot even count how many times we have been held-up at airport gates because somebody's phone was not working (or they forgot to have the app or wallet opened).  

 

The advice of the pro (and also my advice which has been posted numerous times) is to always have a hard-copy back-up.  We always have hard-copy boarding passes (which we either print-out at home or from an airport kiosk).  For cruise ships it can be almost humerous.  About 2 years ago, while embarking on a Seabourn cruise from Pireaus, our app failed to function.  Trying to reload did not work because the local cell signal was not penetrating the small terminal.  We (and others) were frantically trying to bring up our digital boarding passes with no luck.  Fortunately, a Seabourn employee was able to pull up the info on his iPad (after a few minutes) and all was well.  

 

Although I am "old as dirt" I am also tech savvy and do like digital options.  But as very frequent world travelers, we always have hard-copy back-up.   In fact, for most flights, DW and I prefer to use the hard copy boarding pass because it is easier than fumbling with our phones.  

 

Last year we had an interesting issue in Munich when we had an "issue" with the German authorities about our Passport stamps (for entry into the Schengen zone).  The German Immigration Officer demanded that we show him proof (and he wanted hard copy) of our itinerary and where we entered the Schengen zone (which was in Monte Carlo).  Fortunately, I had tons of hard copy documentation in my carry-on and quickly filled his counter with documents.  Otherwise, I would probably still be standing at that counter pleading my case :).  

 

Last year we were in Japan, and at one point (after returning from Taiwan) actually had our "hard copy" Passports checked 5 times (I kid you not) in about 10 minutes as we were clearing the Japanese procedures to get off our ship.  It would have been humorous, if not true!  The 5th person (to ask for our Passports) actually bowed and offered an appology for the procedures (I bowed back).  Trust me that anything digital would not have been acceptable. Japan is one of the most high tech countries on earth (you need a PhD to operate many toilets) except when it comes to Passports.

 

Hank

[CruisingAlong4Now]

Hank explained the downside of always depending on digital apps, especially when travelling internationally, better than I.

 

Much easier to slip some paper into my pocket than fumbling for a phone several times before boarding.

[Charles4515]

8 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

(or they forgot to have the app or wallet opened).  

 

What fumbling? There is nothing for me to do but take the phone out of my pocket. Since the passes are in my Apple Wallet.my boarding passes appear on my iPhones lock screen at the correct time and location. The travel writers advice may apply to some people but I won't take it. I know what I am doing. I also have a portable battery bank as mentioned by klfrodo. In addition I have an Apple Watch  and the borarding passes are in the Apple Wallet on the watch. 

[klfrodo]

If I've learned anything on my 20+ years on this board, it doesn't take long for people to jump on and poopoo new innovations or creative ideas. From assigning a crew member to dispense soft serve ice cream to advances in technology.

 

Then again, I can't think of anything better than polite discourse. Personally, I embrace advances in technology and fully support going digital with biometrics, facial recognition, and yes, even boarding passes, passports, hotel reservations, public transportation, and entry/exit visas.

My wife on the other hand, loves having hard copies. I usually have everything digital and she has the hard copies. Yes, we've bailed each other out a few times.

[Charles4515]

23 minutes ago, CruisingAlong4Now said:

Much easier to slip some paper into my pocket than fumbling for a phone several times before boarding.

If I had a paper copy I would more likely be fumbling for that. My phone is always in the same pocket and my Apple Watch is always on my wrist. Really sweet is if there is a gate change the new gate shows up on my digital boarding pass. I am sure a lot of people don't know how to use the features but that is not my problem. If paper works best for you use paper. 

Edited June 11 by Charles4515

[ldubs]

16 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

If I've learned anything on my 20+ years on this board, it doesn't take long for people to jump on and poopoo new innovations or creative ideas. From assigning a crew member to dispense soft serve ice cream to advances in technology.

 

Then again, I can't think of anything better than polite discourse. Personally, I embrace advances in technology and fully support going digital with biometrics, facial recognition, and yes, even boarding passes, passports, hotel reservations, public transportation, and entry/exit visas.

My wife on the other hand, loves having hard copies. I usually have everything digital and she has the hard copies. Yes, we've bailed each other out a few times.

 

I just booked a transcontinental flight on Delta.  There was an option to set up digital ID.  I'll do it.  If it works, great.  If not, I'll have the paperwork.    

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

What fumbling? There is nothing for me to do but take the phone out of my pocket. Since the passes are in my Apple Wallet.my boarding passes appear on my iPhones lock screen at the correct time and location. The travel writers advice may apply to some people but I won't take it. I know what I am doing. I also have a portable battery bank as mentioned by klfrodo. In addition I have an Apple Watch  and the borarding passes are in the Apple Wallet on the watch. 

I also have all the above.  But lately, my iPhone stays securely in my zipped pocket and the simple paper boarding pass does quite fine.  While the boarding pass is on my iWatch, I have never tried to use that at the scanner.   I do get it, when it comes to digital.  But, I have also realized that there are times when a small sheet of paper has advantages.  

 

There are times when there is no substitute for digital, which is why we have often posted (here on CC) that having a working smartphone can be vital to international travel.  During the COVID panic days, the government of Turkey had a digital pass that was only sent to a device after the passenger submitted all the necessary documents (including a recent negative COVID test).  The final digital pass was not sent until midnight of the day one was to arrive in Turkey.  In our case, that meant we could not get that digital OK until our aircraft actually landed in Istanbul and we could turn-on our phones.  For those without a phone, there was no way to get this required pass which meant they had to go through additional screening and delays in the airport or be denied entry.

 

It was the same when entering Japan (soon after they reopened) when they had a digital form which indicated one had met all the requirements.  We never did learn if there was a way to do this with a hard copy (we had it on our phones).

 

Digital will eventually "take over the world" but for now, having a hard copy back-up is a very good idea.

 

Hank

 

 

[Charles4515]

56 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

e simple paper boarding pass does quite fine.  While the boarding pass is on my iWatch, I have never tried to use that at the scanner.   I do get it, when it comes to digital.  But, I have also realized that there are times when a small sheet of paper has advantages.

Whatever works for you. I have used the Apple Watch and it is handy at the TSA checkpoint but at the boarding gate itself some airlines had their scanner positioned so that while it worked it required contortions of my wrist to position so I use my phone. That was years ago  when the Apple Watch was a new thing so the airlines might have fixed that but I won’t bother to find out unless there is a problem with my phone. 

[klfrodo]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

Whatever works for you. I have used the Apple Watch and it is handy at the TSA checkpoint but at the boarding gate itself some airlines had their scanner positioned so that while it worked it required contortions of my wrist to position so I use my phone. That was years ago  when the Apple Watch was a new thing so the airlines might have fixed that but I won’t bother to find out unless there is a problem with my phone. 

I used to use my iWatch also but ran into the same contortion issue. I just rely on my phone now.

 

@ldubs I would be interested in hearing your experience with using Delta's Digital ID when you complete your travels.

I did find this YouTube video 

 

[ldubs]

20 hours ago, klfrodo said:

I used to use my iWatch also but ran into the same contortion issue. I just rely on my phone now.

 

@ldubs I would be interested in hearing your experience with using Delta's Digital ID when you complete your travels.

I did find this YouTube video 

 

 

I will sign up but it doesn't look like I will be using it unless they expand the pilot in the next 10 months.   Right now Delta is pilot testing this in just a few airports (ATL, DTW, LAX, LGA & JFK). 

[Mary229]

On 6/11/2024 at 6:37 PM, klfrodo said:

If I've learned anything on my 20+ years on this board, it doesn't take long for people to jump on and poopoo new innovations or creative ideas. 

 

My wife on the other hand, loves having hard copies. I usually have everything digital and she has the hard copies. Yes, we've bailed each other out a few times.

I am Mrs. Digital and he is Mr. Analog.   I checked out the video and my next flight is Delta so I will be signing up.  Thanks for the info 

[BOB999]

At this point, Digital ID in the United States is at best, in a Pilot program phase.  

 

There are a cacophony of different technologies and different programs that are tied to different things and the consumer experience varies greatly depending upon where they are flying, what checkpoint they're using, who they are flying and the programs they participate in.  

 

Here's an example:

 

Suppose I'm flying from LAX to Houston.  If I am flying United or Delta I can use the TSA Pre Touchless ID (aka Delta Digital ID) since I have TSA-Pre, a Passport as part of my UA/DL profiles, have opted in and LAX is one of the few Pilot airports.  I go through a separate lane, the screen takes my picture and I'm on my way (just like entering the US with Global Entry at many airports). 

 

Alternatively, since California is one of 9 states participating with the TSA Digital ID program, I can have my CA Drivers License details in the DMV app and use that to scan at selected checkpoints, since LAX is a participating airport. 

 

Now it's time to go home, neither Houston airport participates in TSA Pre Touchless ID nor accepts Digital ID, so scan my boarding pass and hand my ID to the TSA agent, just like 10 years ago.  I could also use Clear if I so chose to.

 

Back to the original question, if USCBP and the cruise industry is interested, I wouldn't be shocked to see some sort of pilot program in the next few years to incorporate some sort of Digital/Biometric passport identification in cruising.  I would see it limited to certain cruise lines/ports, only for US Passport holders (maybe even only Global Entry participants) and certainly only WHTI compliant cruises.

Edited June 13 by BOB999

[BeasleysMom66]

On my return to the US from Vancouver I saw one young man at the Customs/Border Patrol check point who took "Digital ID" too literally.  I don't know where he was from or trying to go but he thought a picture of his passport on his phone was enough for digital ID.  I felt a little tiny bit bad for him but really wished I had popcorn to stay and watch the poor frustrated agent desperately trying to keep their composure and get him to understand he could not travel out of Canada based on a picture of his passport.

[clo]

On 6/11/2024 at 4:34 PM, Charles4515 said:

I know what I am doing.

Don't you think advice is really for people who don't know or aren't completely sure and then get nervous?

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, clo said:

Don't you think advice is really for people who don't know or aren't completely sure and then get nervous?

I think so but a couple of posters were advising that everyone should use paper not digital because they saw two people at different airports of people who had run out of battery. I had paper backup myself the first couple of times until I was confident and then have used the digital for years without issues. For people who are nervous or don’t travel much, or just plain OCD a paper copy is a good idea. Don’t make a generalization though that everyone needs a paper boarding pass.