AirAsia to launch contactless check-in solutions by Q1 2022

MANILA, Philippines — Budget carrier AirAsia Philippines intends to do away with boarding passes by the first quarter of next year with its fast airport clearance experience system or FACES.

FACES is a new technology that provides contactless check-in solutions to guests, which will be a first in the country.

“Come quarter one of 2022, our guests will be experiencing FACES,” AirAsia Philippines spokesperson Steve Dailisan said during an interview with One News’ Agenda.

“It’s on the AirAsia Super App wherein you will just have to take a selfie and then upload your national ID or your passport and no more boarding passes by the first quarter of 2022,” Dailisan said.

AirAsia said guests who have a valid booking will be identified by their facial biometrics at the security and boarding gate with the airline’s system, without having to present a physical boarding pass or personal identification.

“Hopefully, we will be able to encourage our guests to download the AirAsia Super App and make use of FACES for contactless transactions,” Dailisan said.

“We have to accept that traffic is building up, not just in the airport vicinity but to the roads leading to the airports so you have to at least allot three to four hours of your time going to the airport these days and make use of the contactless solutions that we have,” he said.

AirAsia Philippines said 100 percent of its flying crew and 99.34 percent of the whole workforce have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.