BCBP — Bar Coded Boarding Pass

BCBP — Bar Coded Boarding Pass

BCBP is IATA Resolution Paper 792, which standardises the boarding pass data format across aviation. It ensures that boarding passes — regardless of medium — are machine-readable in a consistent way.

Barcode Formats

BCBP supports two barcode formats: PDF417 (widely used on paper boarding passes, a two-dimensional linear barcode) and Aztec Code (preferred for mobile boarding passes, a circular 2D barcode). Both formats carry the same data content.

BCBP Data Fields

The BCBP barcode consists of mandatory and optional fields. Mandatory fields include: passenger name, electronic ticket indicator, destination airport code, airline code, flight number, date of operation, cabin class, seat number, check-in sequence number and flight status. Optional fields include: FFP number, SSR information and FastTrack indicator.

Security Considerations

BCBP content is not encrypted; the barcode can be decoded by any compatible reader. For this reason, BCBP alone is not a security instrument — it is validated against DCS records at gate boarding. LandingAtlas's Journey Verification Service (#65) converts BCBP data into an HMAC-SHA256 fingerprint; the raw data is never stored.

Mobile Boarding Pass

IATA's mPass standard extends BCBP to mobile devices. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet integrations are built on the BCBP data structure. NFC-based boarding passes use the same data model.