Biometric checks

Travelers to the European Union (EU) must prepare to be photographed and have their fingerprints registered. On Oct. 12, the EU launched a new entry-exit system to be rolled out at all border control points over a period of six months. Under the new system, border agents will no longer stamp passports. Instead, automated entry ­​points will digitally collect biometric and passport information for all non-EU citizens arriving in countries within the Schengen area (all 27 EU countries plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein). The ­biometric information will be stored for up to five years.

The new system aims to more efficiently identify travelers with fraudulent documents or those who stay too long, while reducing wait times. But human rights advocates are concerned digital systems create accessibility barriers for migrants seeking asylum. In late 2026, the EU plans to launch an electronic travel authorization system similar to the ESTA in the United States.

The EU joins a growing number of countries that are tightening and digitizing border control. Australia implemented a biometric system in 2012, followed by New Zealand, Singapore, Israel, Argentina, and recently the U.K. The United States has slowly increased the use of biometric data collection at some airports, announcing Oct. 24 that photographs would be required for all noncitizens entering the country beginning Dec. 26. Photos will be saved in a Department of Homeland Security database for up to 75 years.

Even though the pages in a passport are becoming obsolete, paper copies are still needed to travel—at least for now. In 2023, Finland became the first country in the world to issue digital passports as part of an EU pilot program. In 2024, the Singapore airport became completely passport free for the country’s residents. Apple recently announced plans for an iPhone feature that will store passport information and can be used at TSA checkpoints.

Have a quiet flight

The first “quiet” supersonic plane soared over California Oct. 28 on its inaugural test flight. NASA developed the X-59 as part of its Quesst mission, which aims to redevelop supersonic planes for commercial flights. Supersonic planes can cover distances in half the time as subsonic planes, but they cause thunder-like booms loud enough to cause property damage and hearing loss. The U.S. government banned civil supersonic flights over U.S. airspace in 1973. British Airways and Air France offered transatlantic commercial supersonic flights on the Concorde from 1976 to 2003, but eventually phased out the planes for economic and safety reasons. In June, President Donald Trump lifted the ban on civil supersonic flight on the condition that flights not create a boom audible on land. After eight years and $632 million, NASA’s X-59 meets that requirement. The plane’s shape is designed to reduce the sonic boom to a thump, “similar to the sound of a car door slamming nearby,” according to NASA. Two other companies are developing their own commercial supersonic planes. —E.S.