US Airlines Conducting Trial of Mobile Boarding Pass

Various US airlines are conducting trials of mobile check-in systems that will give freedom to passengers from conventional boarding passes and smoothen the process.

According to the officials of various US airlines, all big airlines, including Continental, Alaska Airways, American Airlines, Southwest, Delta and Northwest, are conducting trial of two-dimensional barcode check-in system. It gives passengers freedom from paper work as they can show code sent on their mobile phone to airline official, as reported by Theinquirer on March 19, 2008.

As the usage of mobile phones is expanding and new applications are evolving, airline companies firmly believe that passengers will use their mobile phones, smartphones (like BlackBerry), and other devices for a wide range of services like rebooking of ticket, changing seat, upgrading seat and checking status.

Passenger gets an encrypted barcode that is hard to copy by stealers than the existing e-tickets. Security personnel scan the code at the entrance and then verify the information with the information in customer's ID.

Moreover, security personnel accepted that system is highly secure because barcode scanning facilitates them to identify whether the code is manipulated or not.

The airlines also stated that if the cell phone check-in system successfully works, they will begin to use text-messaging service. It will help passengers with vital information like on-board services, conciliation on future ticket prices, flight rescheduling and baggage pickup.

The airports also expressed hope that passengers will be immensely benefited as they can change their seat on mobile phones, upgrade their flight class, and find alternatives flights if they missed without bothering airport staff.

In contrast, according to The New York Times, around 80% passengers use some kind of electronic boarding pass; hence, it is completely useless to change the passengers' cell phone into an automated check-in system.

Moreover, mobile check-in system could be the first step for direct communication between passengers and airlines as they travel.

Henry H Harteveldt, Vice President, Forrester Research, said that airline companies would use mobile messaging service as a communication link with passenger to provide information like on-board service, baggage pickup, rebooking options, and ticket purchase. It'll be interesting to note how airline companies use mobile phones to interact with their customers in future, as reported by NYtimes on March 18, 2008.