Brisbane Airport takes overseas outgoing passenger cards digital

Jetsetters departing from Brisbane International Airport no longer need to complete handwritten outgoing passenger cards thanks to a new ‘digital departure card’ feature in the BNE Airport iPhone and Android apps.

Passengers travelling with any airline simply open the app, click ‘departure card’ in the main menu and can then type the same information they would have traditionally written on a conventional passenger card.

That includes your name, occupation and passport details…

… through to your flight information and travel plans:

Here comes the tricky part: you can’t simply click ‘submit’ and send your information through to Customs – what you enter is instead converted into a 3D barcode, known as a ‘QR code’…

… which can be saved within the app and then later retrieved for scanning at the airport via the ‘My Trip’ tab.

Currently exclusive to Brisbane Airport, the scanning kiosk takes the information from the barcode and prints a physical departure card with the same, which you’ll need to sign and date before proceeding through security.

Then, simply present the printout to a Customs officer, along with your boarding pass and passport. If you’re unable to use the app or you’d prefer to complete a traditional departure card, that’s fine too.

Passengers bound for Los Angeles with Qantas or New Zealand with either Qantas or Air New Zealand can also make a beeline for the passenger-pleasing and time-saving eGates at outbound passport control in Brisbane.

Similar to the familiar SmartGate technology when returning to Australia, Aussie travellers armed with electronic (chipped) passports can use the eGates to side-step the regular manned passport queues and instead process themselves out of the country – a real time-saver during peak periods.

If that’s your plan, just keep your printed or traditional departure card and boarding pass at hand, ready for inspection after you’re cleared through the eChannel – and if you’re filing a GST refund claim at the TRS desk, there’s now a time-saving app for that too.

The BNE Airport app can be downloaded for free via the iTunes Store for iPhones and through Google Play for Android-powered devices.

 

Australian Business Traveller