Blog

ITB Berlin: Exploring digital identification and seamless mobility

March 9, 2026
3 min read
Car rental agency employee giving car keys to beautiful young woman
Peter Altmann
Peter Altmann
Head of Mobility and Travel Protection - Amadeus
Share it!

ITB Berlin – which celebrates its sixtieth anniversary this year – is all about connections. With tens of thousands of industry insiders coming together, the event remains at the forefront of European travel. Welcoming 6,000 exhibitors from 170 countries, it is a one-of-a-kind showcase for the future of our industry.


Going back to Germany is always a pleasure for me. This year, I was honored to be invited to speak on stage about the significance of digital identity in the mobility sector. It was interesting to hear about the way travelers search is evolving, leading to a rapid increase in search volumes. AI was top of mind, with a vast majority of sessions covering it, and a dedicated AI track. With the rise of AI, data has become even more vital, helping us reduce friction and create smoother travel experiences.

Working towards a frictionless mobility experience

Front of mind was the goal of building a seamless experience across our industry and the work that still remains to be done to create the experiences travelers now expect. 

Despite sustained investment, from Amadeus and others, the mobility sector, especially car rental, remains one of the most fragmented and stressful parts of the travel journey, consistently achieving the lowest net promoter scores (NPS) across 22 consumer industries. 


Travelers continue to face several frustrations when renting a car, with nearly half reporting surprise added charges at pick‑up. Others struggle with lengthy paperwork and slow check‑out processes. Many travelers are also inconvenienced by the inability to pick up and drop off their rental in different locations, and more than a third end up receiving a different vehicle than the one they originally booked.


What can we do to change the dynamic? 

Building a digital industry

Mobility is the next frontier of digital transformation in travel – a process which is long overdue. A great place to start is digital identity, which unlocks a seamless, stress‑free mobility experience from end to end. By enabling verified digital identity and secure data sharing at scale, we can address one of the biggest pain points in the industry and significantly reduce queues, paperwork, uncertainty, and hidden costs. 


With Amadeus Travel Ready, we are working to advance the digitization of travel. We successfully started with airports, airlines and recently cruise terminals, and we believe we have the right capabilities to unlock this for the mobility experience too.

What are the benefits of going digital in mobility?

Digital identity streamlines the entire mobility experience by enabling travelers to verify their driving license and personal details before they arrive. This removes the need for paperwork, eliminates manual data entry, and enables express or fully touch‑free pick‑up. By connecting real‑time data across partners, travelers also benefit from clearer information, fewer surprises, and far greater transparency throughout the rental process.


For providers, digital identity transforms car rental into a seamless, connected digital step that aligns with the modern experiences. It will directly tackle the biggest traveler pain points, from long queues to inconsistent vehicle assignment and unclear charges, delivering a faster, more reliable, and more customer‑centric journey.

EU Digital Identity Wallet

This transformation ties into wider changes across the travel industry, including the EU Digital Identity Wallet, set to bring a one-click experience for travel. Available to citizens in 2026, 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.


We are playing our role to bring this program to fruition. Last 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.


Amadeus is bringing proven travel ecosystem scale and expertise to mobility to finally connect this missing piece of the journey.

Final reflection

As someone who has spent many years working with partners across the mobility space, I left ITB more convinced than ever that we are on the right path. The conversations we had in Berlin were a powerful reminder of the industry’s appetite for change. I’m excited about the work ahead—and even more excited about what it will mean for travelers.

TO TOP

TO TOP