Technology & peace-of-mind are not mutually exclusive
Shortly after the first-generation iPhone debuted, Airside co-founders authored the international standard for- and directly coordinated the rollout of mobile boarding passes across the United States.
Then, they considered other ways to expedite travel. At that time, using an app to get through U.S. customs was a radical idea. Undaunted, Adam Tsao and Hans Miller started Airside and developed the Mobile Passport App to save time and enhance security. They put people in control of their IDs – without onerous background checks, interviews, or pre-approval processes. The result: Mobile Passport members have spent more quality time doing what they love – traveling – not standing in lines.
Today, it’s my pleasure to announce the next step in our pursuit to save time in travel plus many other experiences where you need to present yourself and your ID. Our Mobile Passport App is catching a connecting flight to a universal form of mobile ID. Get ready for lift-off!
News about the Mobile Passport Control program
As of February 1, 2022, the CBP MPC App will be the only app allowed for the submission of passport and travel entry information to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Airside is proud to have served as the first data technology steward of the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) program for the past seven years. Our app has been trusted by 10 million members who have saved 2 million hours of administrative work, earning our app an average 4.6 star rating in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Our Mobile Passport App will still be available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store to provide members with quick redirects to (1) the CBP MPC App; and (2) the Airside Digital ID App which offers more capabilities than Mobile Passport to verify and share member IDs far beyond customs where we started.
Concurrently, as we maintained the highest levels of security and introduced greater functionality in the Mobile Passport App, we built upon that foundation by creating new products and services that provide tremendous value to people and businesses.
The transformation of digital ID
Today, you see applications of digital ID along the entire travel journey — from online reservations to ticketing and baggage check-in, from security screening checkpoints to gate processing and boarding. Traveling during the pandemic has only reinforced the importance of digital ID by providing us with physical and digital safety. Now you can use your Airside ID to prepare for trips from the comfort of your sofa, avoiding common touch points as you venture out the door and bypassing crowds and long lines at chokepoints.
Remotely proving your identity has extended into our everyday lives. Beyond travel, imagine using your verified mobile ID to apply for your dream apartment and conduct financial transactions. That is where we are today. Whether it’s passports, driver’s licenses, military IDs, or another form of ID document, Airside serves to prove that you are who you say you are – a full representation of your whole self – opening doors and providing access to all areas of your life. It’s a concept we call Whole ID.
Our Airside Digital ID App can be used today for mobile ID services, including those with American Airlines, and other travel and life experiences. The storage of verified passports and driver’s licenses and other ID documents is free, and you decide if, how, and with whom to share your ID.
Join us on the next step of the journey
We’ve come so far from where we began in 2009, yet we remain grounded on the same founding principles. Being the first and best stewards of the Mobile Passport Control program was proof that, as everything becomes more mobile, virtual, and touchless, affirming digital identity correctly and ethically is essential for everyday tasks. People should enjoy the benefits of data technology to improve their lives in a way that puts privacy and security on par with convenience and ease.
Airside’s privacy-by-design framework and our open and interoperable technology puts us in a unique position to deliver on this promise. I’m excited to put the power of Whole ID into people’s hands, enabling them to verify and share a variety of data with one simple click. Combining ground truth data with simplicity and control to reduce the friction in our daily transactions is a powerful idea, and one whose time has come.
Thank you to our government and business partners and our loyal Mobile Passport members who helped us get established. We can’t wait to take off to more points domestic, international and beyond.
