The Best Software for Streamlining Advance Passenger Information Processing

Advance Passenger Information (API) processing has an important role in international transportation as it helps airline companies and other transportation operators collect and share passenger and crew information before any international travel commences to support immigration, customs, and general security processes.

However, it’s not without its challenges. Some of the leading pain points associated with API processing include poor data accuracy, a lack of standardized data, privacy issues, problems with integrating data and high costs, among other challenges.

Scandit’s self-serve ID scanning solution, ID Bolt, is designed to integrate pre-built passport and ID scanning, which helps streamline API processing.

Read on to learn more about how ID Bolt addresses these challenges and improves the overall API process.

Challenges in processing advance passenger information

API processing has many challenges, which can be frustrating for carriers, authorities and passengers alike. Some of the leading challenges in processing API include:

• Manual data entry: Not only is manual data entry tedious, but it also has greater potential to result in errors. Typos, mismatched information and missing content fields can all slow down the process. In more dire cases, it can lead to travelers risking being denied boarding. For airlines, there may be fines associated with submitting incorrect data.
• High compliance demands: Airlines need to meet a variety of regulatory requirements – and these standards are seemingly always changing based on world events and various security protocols. This results in airlines and other travel operators having to regularly re-train staff to ensure compliance and reduce the risk of penalties associated with non-compliance.
• Poor integration between systems: Airlines often use one Advanced Passenger Information Software to collect data, but transmitting their data to the system that a respective government uses can be difficult. This often leads to higher costs for API system development and maintenance and can also lead to delays if there are processing and integration issues.

How Scandit’s ID Bolt simplifies API collection and processing

Scandit’s ID Bolt is a self-serve ID scanning solution that’s designed to help streamline API collection and processing while complying with industry and government standards.

ID Bolt uses advanced object character recognition (OCR) and mobile scanning to automate data capture, with benefits that include real-time document authentication and accurate data entry. ID Bolt also allows airlines and border agencies the ability to scale the solution to meet any changing needs.

Scandit ensures seamless integration, meaning minimal disruption to daily workflows and airline operations.

Some of the ways ID Bolt helps improve API collection and processing include:

1. Smart data capture with mobile scanning

Smart data capture isn’t just much faster, but it also reduces manual entry and minimizes the risk of human error. OCR technology extracts high-quality data efficiently and effectively, with one of the key applications being identity verification for automating flight check-ins.

ID Bolt scans in as quickly as 1 second and with up to 100% accuracy. It can help eliminate bottlenecks in the airline industry and lead to simplified customer interactions.

2. Real-time document authentication

Scandit’s ID Bolt is designed to work fast, like within a second. When you combine these fast scanning speeds with 100% accuracy, you can count on authenticity that you can trust.

Scandit’s solutions are also designed to prevent fraud with NFC and facial recondition capabilities. Data validation is especially important for border security so that governments are fully aware of who is entering their country. Good data helps maintain effective immigration, customs and other security measures.

3. Enhanced data security

Scandit’s solutions process data within a secure environment, prioritizing data security in document authentication and API collection. With ISO 27001 certification, Scandit ensures industry-leading information security standards.

Data is encrypted and securely stored to prevent unauthorized access and no personal identifiable information is stored on the device. End-to-end communications are encrypted with ID Bolt, and Scandit maintains all of ID Bolt’s components and user journeys, eliminating concerns about error handling.

Additionally, Scandit’s solutions are designed to comply with global data privacy laws, providing users with a secure and compliant experience.

4. Easy integration with existing websites and API systems

An additional benefit of Scandit’s ID Bolt solution is that it’s designed to easily integrate with existing websites and Advanced Passenger Information systems (APIS), requiring minimal development effort.

As a low-code solution, it can be implemented and ready for testing within an hour, helping airlines avoid high system development costs and delays. By simplifying integration, Scandit eliminates common adoption barriers and accelerates deployment.

Want to see ID Bolt in action?

Try our interactive demo to experience it for yourself.

Learn more

5. Device handover for easier API collection

ID Bolt’s device handover feature makes it even easier for passengers to submit their API.

It allows users to seamlessly switch from scanning their ID on a desktop or laptop computer to using their smartphone as the scanner by simply scanning a QR code on the screen.

This moves the scanning process to their mobile device for better ergonomics and ease of use, which is useful especially when trying to capture an ID document with a less optimal camera on a laptop (or if a computer has no webcam at all).

Again, all scanning happens on the user’s device, ensuring that no personal information is transmitted to a third party.

Benefits of streamlining API with Scandit

Scandit’s solutions offer many advantages for airlines, passengers and border authorities. These benefits include:

• Faster processing times and an improved overall passenger experience
• Enhanced compliance with industry and global security standards
• Savings in dev and operational costs
• Reduced errors from human data entry
• Secure and user-friendly ID scanning

By reducing errors and optimizing efficiency, Scandit’s solutions also contribute to better revenue management for airlines, as smoother operations and enhanced compliance can help avoid fines, reduce operational costs, and improve customer satisfaction.

Use cases of Scandit’s ID Bolt in API processing

ID Bolt streamlines API data capture, eliminating the need for manual text entry by allowing users to scan their IDs in just one second.

With only a few lines of code, businesses can integrate ID Bolt into their websites, providing customers with a seamless, secure, and highly accurate scanning experience. Some of these real-world scenarios include:

• Airline check-in and boarding automation: Passengers can scan their passports and other government-issued IDs instantly when booking or checking in for their flights, streamlining processes and ensuring a smoother travel experience. With Scandit’s solutions, API data can be captured ahead of travel, and passengers can arrive at the airport ready to travel.
• Border security and passenger validation: authorities can conduct faster, more secure passenger validation.
• Scalability for high traffic hubs: Scandit’s solutions are scalable and able to serve high-traffic hubs just as effectively as they’re able to support small operations.

Users can scan their IDs on any device or connect their phone to their laptop via QR code for even greater convenience.

With a foolproof user interface, unmatched scanning speed, and secure on-device data processing, ID Bolt is designed for both ease of use and developer-friendly integration.

Revolutionizing API processing with Scandit

Scandit’s solutions are designed to revolutionize API processing by making it faster, error-free and more of a user-friendly experience for both border agents and passengers. What’s more is that Scandit’s solutions still comply with strict global regulations and are designed to ensure that data is kept safe and secure. Explore Scandit’s solutions, notably ID Bolt, for more information on how its family of products is helping to revolutionize API processing.

For more information, contact Scandit today. Interested in streamlining API processing for your passengers and crew? Take a free trial of ID Bolt to test the system for yourself.

FAQs

What is Advance Passenger Information (API)?

Advance Passenger Information involves airlines and other transportation operators collecting and sharing information about passengers before international travel. This collected information is then shared with government agencies to help streamline immigration, customs, passenger processing, airport operations, and general security processes.

How does API improve travel security and efficiency?

API processing has an important role in international transportation. Its main purpose is to collect and analyze passenger data before they arrive at borders. API is often used to proactively detect threats, increase operational efficiency, and streamline border control operations so that governments know who is looking to enter their country.

What data is included in an API submission?

Personal identification information collected from passports, physical airline tickets, or tickets on mobile devices is included with an API submission. This may include a passenger’s name, gender, birthday, nationality and country of residence. Additional information may include passport details, travel itinerary and ticketing information, contact information and more.

What challenges do airlines face in processing API?

Airlines face several challenges in processing API. Some of the biggest challenges include manual data entry and user errors, high compliance demands and poor integration between Advanced Passenger Information and other systems.

How does Scandit ensure data accuracy and compliance?

Data security is of the utmost importance when it comes to document authentication and API collection and processing. Data is encrypted and stored to help prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data. No personal identifiable information is stored on the device and end-to-end communications are encrypted with Bolt ID. Additionally, Scandit is ISO 27001 certified, demonstrating our commitment to the highest standards of information security management. This certification ensures that our security practices meet global industry requirements, giving users confidence in the protection of their data.

Can Scandit’s solutions integrate with existing airline systems?

Yes, one of the biggest benefits of Scandit solutions is that they’re easily able to integrate with existing airport security systems.