[W.A.G.7]

I am not sure if it is functional at Pune airport or not. I have downloaded the app today and I have a flight tomorrow, so I will experience it myself and share the details here.

[dailydriver]

Digiyatra seems to be emulating the FasTag mode of implementation.

FasTag was initially touted as an all in one solution to avoid congestion at toll booths. With very few users, the lanes were free and we breezed through swiftly. The non adopters were forced to wait. Gradually, when everyone had a FasTag on their windshields, the lanes got congested again.

Also, the manner in which FastTag transformed from being a voluntary service to a mandatory one should give us enough hints about how Digiyatra is slated to move ahead.

Reading through the posts, I am reminded of the fictional series Person of Interest.

[vaibhavyagnik]

Originally Posted by Vitalstatistiks

Noob question:

What will be the benefit of DigiYatra when all/most travellers have migrated to this system, and same traffic moves from physical queues to Digi queues?

A computer is quicker and more accurate and thus more secure compared to a human who is reading your name, looking at your picture and then matching your face with the one in your Photo ID. Also there is far more probability of a human who is lost in thought to let go of a traveller without actually checking his face and name against the photo ID and ticket. With a computer it is zero.

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Not a DigiYatra user and won't be unless forced. Am absolutely happy taking that 1 non-DY lane at airports, arriving earlier and inculcating my patience.

My concerns:
1. What is the exact 'problem'/'risk' that is better solved by use of sensitive biometric data for boarding what is essentially a shared (air)cab service? How is it conceptually different than taking a cab, bus, train or ferry or will this overt surveillance extend in time to every single movement an individual makes?

As mentioned above, it faster, accurate and thus more secure than a human comparing your face to a photo ID, and then confirming the name on the photo ID with the name on the ticket. Humans get lost in thoughts while carrying out action mindlessly, computers don't

Originally Posted by roy_libran

2. As an individual who has ownership of the said data, do I have any confidence that there are adequate Controls in place across the entire lifecycle of this data, including deletion?

Refer section Handling of personal data of Digiyatra policy
The biometric data is held on the device in a secure wallet. Transmission is end to end encrypted and the server purges data 24 hours after flight departure. The document says they atleast confirm to NIST CSF, ISO 27001 and Data privacy act. I would like to have the addition of confirmance to GDPR. GDPR is the gold standard right now.

Originally Posted by roy_libran

3. Why the huge 'Push' which admittedly has reduced a tad after all the hue and cry?

Refer answer to question 1

[Sandy Damodaran]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Introduction

Digiyatra until a few days ago. Reason - late adopter of tech!

I beat you there I haven't taken a domestic flight in dogs years now! Just back from a nice long trip to Odisha and back!

I think the incident with your colleauge was the first time I met you in the airport!

[rajshenoy]

Been using digiyatra for last few trips and I must say it is really seamless.

On my last trip with family, decided to try adding my children’s profile on my mobile as well and they too were able to walk in without any long wait.

I highly recommend digiyatra

[impala]

While I have used and would probably use Digiyatra again due to maddening queues at airports, here is my concern and why I believe Digiyatra is taking us for a ride. To allow you entry to the gates, they do not have your full travel itinerary. All they need to know is whether the person has a domestic/international flight from this terminal in next X hours. If the application is built with data privacy in mind, they will not store your boarding pass details permanently. The least, they can delete the information after few days which they do not do. Commercial interest is one of the reason for the aggressive push.

Initial versions of Digiyatra had a setting where it will forget your details after a month or so. They removing this feature is a red flag. Further, the moment you see commercial features on the same app, rest is obvious - they can target you with personalized content. It is an initiative to tap in hotel and ground transport business with an immensely valuable personal data.

When I see people talking about how everybody is sharing data with Google and Facebook, I can only pity them for ignorance. For example, if you are a frequent traveler, they can categorize you as someone with high spending capacity and can provide you a higher price than others for hotel bookings! India does not have strong data privacy guidelines. GDPR, DMA, DSA, COPPA are sorely missing in India. Commercial entities are taking advantage of lack of regulations. Digiyatra is the latest.

[skrao]

I have never used and never will. See this Twitter thread for whyhttps://twitter.com/kingslyj/status/1775208880559083858

[satish]

Originally Posted by skrao

I have never used and never will. See this Twitter thread for whyhttps://twitter.com/kingslyj/status/1775208880559083858

It is purely a political thread.

[Aviator_guy]

Have used Digi Yatra at BLR and Delhi airports multiple times. It's quite a breeze at BLR airport with multiple dedicated lanes. However, was frustrated with long queues and limited lanes at Delhi airport. Wonder why don't they have more dedicated lanes and more emphasis on DigiYatra for such a busy airport!

[Aviator_guy]

Originally Posted by Vitalstatistiks

Noob question:

What will be the benefit of DigiYatra when all/most travellers have migrated to this system, and same traffic moves from physical queues to Digi queues?

Originally Posted by blueberry

I've been a regular user of Digi Yatra for the last ~2years, at Delhi, Bangalore and Kochi airports.


I suspect this is going to go the Fastag way, once the system stabilises.
Currently only a few dedicated lines for security check are reserved for Digiyatra passengers. This will get expanded to more lines & eventually all security check lines will be Digiyatra only.

The only reason security check is faster for Digi Yatra passengers is the low adoption, and hence the shorter queues. It has no inherent quality which makes conducting a security check faster.
Early adopters of the technology will be able to get thru airports faster, before everyone is mandated to come on this technology.

Imagine the world before Fastag.. Long queues at toll plaza, and/or people waiting for lose change or have to hunt their purses to tender exact change etc.. Toll plaza near airports were cause of anxiety and fear of missing flights. I'm sure most of us would have gone thru such experiences earlier. Fastag has streamlined transactions, integrated financial system so one does not have to worry about carrying cash or exact change etc. In my personal experience, I'd have saved valuable time at Toll plaza due to Fastag. Of course, some wait time may still be there but just imagine wait times at same toll plaza if tag was not in place!

I see DigiYatra following the same way. No need to wait endlessly at airport entry while the security tries to match face with your ID or is busy resolving issue with fellow passengers in front of you. Having used DigiYatra at few airports, I have confidence it'd be much better than manual checks any day. Not debating about data privacy as others have opined enough and I have nothing new to add. Technology is here and would take over manual tasks with AI development so eventually it'd become part and parcel of life whether we like it or not.

[Totoro11]

Does it make life simpler: Yes

Does it reduce Wait times: Yes (for now), Not sure (in future)

Are there Data privacy issues: Absolutely

Aadhar -Linking is a concern because we do not know how that important bit of personal identification is stored and used.

Facial Recognition -Airports are anyways high-security zones with scores of cameras recording your moves. We assume that this data will be with government but do we know or care with which entity? (CISF/Airport Operator/Any ministry/ Private contractors)

Passenger information used for cross-selling: already being done by Airlines, travel agents & booking portals, nothing new here

All-in-all, it is a fair deal to use the app if it saves time as our data is anyways public.

https://www.indiatoday.in/technology...752-2024-01-31

https://health.economictimes.indiati...port/104838324

[Autonorm]

I have used Digiyatra a couple of times especially in Lucknow and Varanasi. For most, it has worked seamlessly but for some reason at Varanasi airport, the guard near the entry gate always asks for ID even after I the face-scan approves and allows me entry.
There is a separate queue at security for Digiyatra users and even while boarding the separate queue helps one board faster without waiting for your zone to be called for boarding.

However, I am not a fan of 'forced' use of Digiyatra at some airports and the sudden uninformed change in app.

[Stribog]

Originally Posted by arnieshwartz

I've not used Digi Yatra yet, but going by all the noise online, most recently about how users were abruptly forced to transition to a new app (and still faced issues), inability to upload boarding pass, I can understand why new users are hesitant to be onboarded. There's also the obvious data privacy concerns.

It is clearly a half baked app rushed to market that can't seem to get its basic functionality right consistently. If anything, it should still be in a beta stage.

I am a frequent traveler, do about 2-3 flights a month, an early adopter of Digiyatra and the inability to upload the boarding pass was a concern when this was launched. It's absolutely seamless now.

Haven't ever uploaded a boarding pass so can't comment on that but I upload a pic (screenshot) of my boarding pass and it gets uploaded in a second and then it's smooth sailing all the way.

In the past 6 months had one issue only, when the gate in Mumbai wouldn't recognise my face. I then had to delete and re-upload....worked like a charm.

[Ltinsane]

I started using DigiYatra app last year when I was at airport and was checking out the queue to enter security check. There was an empty entry point labelled DigiYatra so I decided to give it a try right then and there. It worked. 5 minutes later I was standing in the queue to be patted down. I guess I am exactly opposite of OP in case of tech. I started using WhatsApp back in 2010.

DigiYatra works but not for all Airlines. I had my rude awakening while flying to Bengaluru early in the morning. I had a flight with Air India Express and the gate won't scan it. After trying two different gates, finally I sought help from staff, and he confirmed AAE doesn't work on DigiYatra.

Similarly, while flying from Delhi, Alliance Air doesn't work with DigiYatra.

It's still in early days, and people are learning to use it. Once a major part of flying population is comfortable with using it, it will save time for both flyers and staff.
Consider the app from the CISF point of view. If half the people are entering Airport using the app, that cuts down their workload to half as well. They are less likely to get frustrated and less likely to make mistakes. They can focus solely on security.

It will also mean that airports will require less workforce which will save them money and better utilization of resources.

Of course they can't just switch 100% to digitization, there will be people who need actual human interaction but for introverted people it's such a blessing.

Now there are privacy concerns regarding the app but it's my opinion that for most people who are flying, government already have all of your info. Privacy is a myth. There are CCTV cameras all over the country, your phone is homing beacon and even your smart TV is gathering your data.

[raghukodali]

I love digiyatra when it works. It took me exactly 7 minutes from getting out of a cab to clearing security in T3 DEL today morning.