As airlines
look for ways to provide clear guidance regarding COVID-19 travel requirements,
AirAsia is launching an artificial intelligence-based system known as Scan2Fly
that determines passengers’ eligibility before they arrive at the airport.
Created in
partnership with GrayMatter, the system alerts travelers at the time of booking
as to what documents are required by the destination country – such as a
negative COVID-19 test result.
Then during self
check-in, either on the AirAsia website or through its mobile app, the traveler
uploads the required document and, within seconds, Scan2Fly uses AI to analyze
the document and either accept or reject. That decision is based on factors
such as the date and type of test and whether it was done by an accredited
clinic or hospital.
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Travelers who
cannot upload their documents or who are rejected are instructed to go to the
airline counter on the day of departure for manual validation.
AirAsia says
the system is live for several of its flights from Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur
airport to and from Singapore and Surabaya and soon will launch for Jakarta.
“Innovation
has always been in our DNA. Our digital transformation continues to gain
momentum as we work hard to make travel in this new world more secure,
hygienic, contactless and seamless than ever before by improving our digital
capabilities which reduce costs and further enhance the customer journey,”
says Javed Malik, COO of
AirAsia Group.
“As
we pivot into a one-stop travel and lifestyle platform, there are many more
innovations in the pipeline, which we will announce in due course.”
In
October AirAsia announced a partnership with Vision-Box, a Portugal-based
company that specializes in biometrics and digital identity solutions. The
companies are developing automated bag drop services, roving technology for
temperature checks and biometric facial recognition systems.