Latest news with #Viale
Gulf Insider
15-04-2025
- Business
- Gulf Insider
ICAO Proposes Biometric ‘Journey Pass' to Replace Boarding Passes
The days of frantically searching for your boarding pass or running across an airport parking lot to make it in time for flight check-in may soon be a thing of the past. The UN body responsible for drafting airline policy – International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) – has proposed new guidelines to shake up existing rules for airports and airlines by introducing digital travel credentials or a 'journey pass'. The pass would allow passengers to store vital travel information on devices. According to a Times report, the changes could come into effect in three years. The changes would make boarding passes obsolete and the need to check in for flights. Instead, flyers will download a 'journey pass' to their phone when they book a flight. The pass will be automatically updated if any changes are made to the booking. Amadeus, Director of Product Management Valérie Viale, told the Times that the changes could be the biggest in the aviation industry in half a century. Her company has a system for processing passenger biometrics at each touchpoint and deleting all personal data within 15 seconds. According to Viale, the last major upgrade of the global aviation system was the introduction of e-ticketing in the 2000s. Digital credentials – how do they work? For at least the past few years, ICAO has been working on plans to digitise air transport, particularly through Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs). In December 2024, ICAO released a 'High-Level Guidance: Explaining the ICAO Digital Travel Credentials' document, indicating the concept and planning of DTCs. The concept has gained momentum, and pilot phases have been proposed recently. According to the report, the key feature of the ICAO DTC is that authorities can verify a digital representation of the passport data before the traveller's arrival and confirm the data's integrity and authenticity. ICAO said the DTC could enable Enhanced screening capabilities (travel authorisation processing and pre-arrival screening) via the collection of accurate and trusted information, including facial biometrics, in advance of travel; Support increasingly efficient border processes by expanding automated and biometrically-enabled processes and faster and more convenient experiences for travellers. Airports in the UAE, including Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, have made significant strides in adopting digital boarding passes and getting rid of long check-in queues. Since 2023, Emirates airline requires most passengers departing from Dubai to use a mobile boarding pass instead of a printed paper version. Passengers checking in at Terminal 3 receive their mobile boarding pass via email or SMS. DXB also offers self check-in kiosks where passengers can check in, select seats, add their frequent flyer number, and obtain a mobile boarding pass sent to their email or via an SMS link. DXB has also implemented Smart Gates that allow UAE citizens, residents, GCC nationals, and visa-on-arrival visitors with biometric passports to pass through immigration quickly using their passport, boarding pass, or a valid UAE ID. Abu Dhabi Airports is also developing a 'Smart Travel' project with the ambitious goal of becoming the world's first fully document-free airport by 2025. Concerns and challenges That said, the proposal has also been met with some criticisms. According to media reports, one of the biggest challenges is that airports – especially the smaller ones – will have to invest significantly in upgrading their infrastructure to support the new system, including installing facial recognition cameras, mobile passport scanners, and real-time data synchronisation systems. This could be an expensive ordeal. There are also concerns about potential exclusion for travellers who may not have smartphones or are uncomfortable with facial recognition technology, according to an IDTechWire report. Commenting on security concerns, Amadeus told The Guardian that it had developed a system where passengers' details were wiped within 15 seconds of each contact with a 'touchpoint' – such as the pre-security gates. Also read: Dubai Property: After Burj Azizi, Soon-to-launch Trump Tower is Feeling the Buzz
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Milei's Crypto Defense Backfires After Aide Interrupts Interview
(Bloomberg) -- President Javier Milei stumbled in his bid to downplay his role in a crypto scandal in which he touted a memecoin that later crashed, with fallout spreading to Argentine assets after investors returned from a US holiday. Why Barcelona Bought the Building That Symbolizes Its Housing Crisis Por qué Barcelona compró el edificio que simboliza su crisis inmobiliaria A Filmmaker's Surreal Journey Into His Own Private Winnipeg Trump Child Refugee Agency Shares Data With Immigration Enforcers NYC Restaurants Are Still Waiting for Their Outdoor Dining Plans to Be Approved The libertarian leader tried to contain the effects of the weekend's debacle in a Monday night television interview. But that effort backfired when parts that weren't broadcast were accidentally uploaded to YouTube and subsequently deleted. Milei spoke for over an hour in his first public appearance since the incident, explaining that he acted in good faith in his role as a private citizen, not president. He said he simply wanted to spread the word about — but not promote — a venture that purported to support Argentine businesses. The episode, however, resulted in a 'slap in the face.' But a two-minute excerpt that wasn't broadcast made its way online and spread quickly on social media. In the clip, Milei seemed to suggest he would put state machinery to work on his behalf, saying he would summon the justice minister for legal advice. At that point, Milei's most trusted adviser, Santiago Caputo, walked onscreen and whispered in the president's ear. The interviewer, Jonatan Viale of Todo Noticias, stood by. 'Yes, I understand, I realize this could bring you a judicial mess,' Viale said, nodding after the intervention as the camera continued to roll. 'Where were we?' In an earlier part of the clip, a laughing Viale tells Milei that the interview questions had been agreed upon with Milei's sister, Karina, presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni and Caputo, whose uncle is Argentina's economy minister. The Milei siblings and Caputo together make up the administration's 'iron triangle,' the president has said in previous interviews. Viale didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Investors, many of whom were taking stock of the situation for the first time since US markets were closed Monday, sold off Argentina's sovereign bonds, which were among the worst performers in emerging markets Tuesday morning. Some of the notes, however, trimmed their decline later in the session. In New York, American depositary receipts of some of the country's largest companies, including state oil giant YPF SA and lender Grupo Supervielle SA, fell at market open before paring losses, too. 'It is logical to see some de-risking, but it does not mean that the lower prices will stay there if Milei can spin this into a one-off misstep,' Walter Stoeppelwerth, chief investment officer of Buenos Aires-based brokerage Grit Capital, said by text message. 'His popularity rides on inflation and growth and losses for Bitcoin punters do not resonate with the man and woman on the street.' The government referred questions about the president's remarks to Adorni's own interview Tuesday morning, in which he explained the interruption had been an honest mistake made by Caputo. Milei's adviser doesn't normally participate in TV broadcasts, Adorni said, insisting the administration doesn't set questions or set out boundaries for the president's interviews. 'Santiago Caputo has the defect, to put it that way, of excellence,' Adorni told news channel A24. 'He noticed this could lend itself to confusion among part of the audience and decided to cut the interview. In fact, when the interview was over, the president told Santiago it had been unnecessary.' Viale is one of a small group of local journalists that regularly interviews Milei and his cabinet members. Economy Minister Luis Caputo also spoke Monday, on A24, where he tried to reassure the public that the incident would have no fallout for markets and said that no overseas investors had texted him to inquire about the matter. It remains unclear who was responsible for the scam and who profited. The opposition pounced on the scandal, calling for an impeachment trial and filling over 100 lawsuits. Milei, meanwhile, still plans to fly to Washington on Wednesday to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he hopes to meet US President Donald Trump. (Updates market move in 8th paragraph. An earlier version corrected the spelling of Viale's first name in the 5th.) The Undocumented Workers Who Helped Build Elon Musk's Texas Gigafactory The Unicorn Boom Is Over, and Startups Are Getting Desperate Japan Perfected 7-Eleven. Why Can't the US Get It Right? The Startup That Stepped In When the Baby Formula Supply Chain Broke Before DeepSeek Blew Up, Chatbot Arena Announced Its Arrival ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
