Services like Apple Pay and Google Pay have transformed the payment experience by allowing consumers to pay online or in person with a single click or tap, executing payments from a card stored in a digital wallet.
Now, a similar one-click experience for travel is being tested.
Available to citizens in 2026, EU Digital Identity wallets (EUDI Wallet) will be provided by member states to securely store identity documents like passports and national ID cards, as well as payment methods and biometric profiles.
During this summer, Amadeus and Lufthansa, both participating partners of the EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium Large Scale pilot project, successfully tested the wallet for online check-in and in-person travel scenarios at the airport like check-in, bag-drop and boarding.
Later in 2025, Amadeus will test the wallet for digital travel credential use cases such as airport security and border control.
The EU Digital Identity Wallet is set to improve the experience of travel in several areas:
- Online check-in: Rather than manually entering passport details on an airline’s website, travellers can choose to provide documents stored in the wallet with a single click.
- Biometric enrolment: with one click or tap, travellers can choose to securely share their biometric profile – stored within the wallet – with an airline online or at airport touchpoints, removing the need for them to take a selfie or scan documents to use biometrics at the airport.
- At the airport: instead of presenting physical documents, travellers can tap their phone at check-in desks, self-service kiosks, auto-bag drop machines, lounge entry, and boarding gates. If the traveller has chosen to use biometrics only a face scan is required.
- At the border: In the future, rather than scanning a passport at immigration eGates, travellers can tap their phone instead to share credentials securely.
- Payments: the wallet can also be used to securely pay for services online and at key airport touchpoints by accessing a stored payment card.
Amadeus has enhanced its Travel Ready solution in anticipation of widespread use of the EU Digital Identity Wallet.
In addition to its own digital wallet that can be white labelled by travel companies and enable travel companies or an airport to conduct advanced verification of visas, Travel Ready also provides the infrastructure that enables third-party wallets like the EUDI Wallet to operate with the travel industry.
Amadeus will also continue to work on compatibility and interoperability with all future wallets supporting Digital Identity.
Amadeus Travel Ready is designed with privacy and security at its core.
Key data resides on the user’s own device rather than third party services.
This approach gives travellers full control over their personal information, allowing them to manage their privacy preferences and share only the data necessary for specific transactions.
Additionally, the solution uses state-of-the-art standards and protocols, ensuring that data is stored and transmitted securely.
By adhering to these principles, Amadeus Travel Ready not only enhances the travel experience but also ensures that users’ privacy rights are respected and protected.
“Air travel is about to get a lot easier for Europeans. By removing frustrating and repetitive document scans, EUDI Wallets fully digitalise identity verification, resulting in faster, smoother and more enjoyable travel,” said Frank Durm, senior director ground experience product and design, Lufthansa.
As part of the EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium project, thousands of people have already tested the EUDI Wallet for online check-in.
During this summer, a smaller group of testers visited Amadeus’ customer showcase room in Nice where self-service hardware covering the end-to-end airport experience (check-in, bag drop and boarding) was made available to complete tests of the digital wallet for in-person scenarios.
In the second half of 2025, Amadeus will test the EUDI Wallet for a broader range of use cases, including biometric enrolment and immigration, with other partners.
“Digital identity is the missing piece of the jigsaw for truly seamless travel.
“With facial recognition technology being installed at airports, the border, cruise terminals, and even hotels, it won’t be long before travellers can breeze through every step in their journey without the need to present a passport or other documents.
At Amadeus, we’re focused on transforming the experience of travel across the entire journey, and enabling interoperability of digital wallets across the ecosystem is a key step towards this,” concluded Rudy Daniello, executive vice president, AirOps, Amadeus.