A guide setting out the potential use cases for NFC in the air travel sector has been published by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and The NFC Forum.

"NFC Reference Guide for Air Travel" sets out a number of possible uses of NFC technology that would save time for passengers as well as streamline operations for airlines and other businesses. They include:

The use of NFC to securely provision, store and read boarding passes on mobile devices.Tap-and-go access to executive lounges at airports.Managing airline and airport staff access rights to secure areas.Embedding NFC tags in luggage labels, to quickly access baggage information and better track bags' progress.Using NFC in parking areas, at entry, to pay at exit and store parking details for later reference.Making payments in airport shops and on board aircraft.

The guide was developed jointly by the NFC Forum's Air Transport Task Force and IATA's Fast Travel Working Group and is available to download from the NFC Forum's website.

"NFC holds substantial promise to provide a smoother and faster airport experience for travelers," says IATA's Stephan Copart. "The NFC Reference Guide for Air Travel will be a valuable guide to help stakeholders identify potential opportunities from adoption of NFC technology."