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With Cellphones, Paper Boarding Passes Are So outdated!

Paper Is Out, Cellphones Are In

By SUSAN STELLIN

First came the kiosk, a strange addition to airport terminals when Continental Airlines began offering it as a check-in option in 1995. It was followed by Web check-in, introduced by Alaska Airlines in 1999.

Now, with 80 percent of passengers using these self-service options, the next step is electronic boarding passes, which essentially turn the hand-held devices and mobile phones of travelers into their boarding passes.

At least half a dozen airlines in the United States currently allow customers to check in using their mobile devices, including American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest and Alaska.

But so far, Continental is the only carrier in the United States to begin testing the electronic passes, allowing those travelers to pass through security and board the plane without handling a piece of paper. Their boarding pass is an image of an encrypted bar code displayed on the phone’s screen, which can be scanned by gate agents and security personnel.

When using the other airlines’ mobile check-in services, customers still have to print a boarding pass at an airport kiosk, though most carriers are eager to eliminate this step once the Transportation Security Administration gives its approval.

The agency has been working with Continental since December to test electronic boarding passes, which for now can be used only for nonstop domestic flights out of the Houston hub of Continental.

“We definitely see this as the wave of the future,” said Andrea McCauley, a T.S.A. spokeswoman. “It’s something we are very enthusiastic about pursuing.”

The mobile check-in may well be the first step in direct communications between airlines and passengers as they travel. Ultimately, Henry H. Harteveldt, a vice president with Forrester Research, said he expected airlines would use mobile messaging to communicate with passengers about on-board services, rebooking options, baggage pickup and ticket purchases.

“It’s clear that mobile is the gateway to how airlines will interact with their customers in the future for almost anything,” he said.

The technology being tested by Continental uses a two-dimensional encrypted bar code, which is much tougher to copy than the one-dimensional bar code used by many airlines for boarding passes printed online. And that is a major reason the T.S.A. is expected to embrace the technology.

“We’ve seen indications that terrorists might seek to use fake boarding passes to attempt to enter the security line,” Ms. McCauley said. “When we scan the bar code, we know if it’s been manipulated or if someone has tried to manipulate it in any way.”

With the electronic boarding passes, passengers still need to show photo identification when they pass through security, and that identification must match the information in the bar code on the phone.

The one-dimensional bar code is the symbol most familiar to consumers — a series of vertical lines. The two-dimensional version looks more like the snow on a television screen that has lost its signal. It can hold more information and is more adaptable than the magnetic stripes that used to be the industry standard.

Not only are those magnetic stripes more expensive to print; they also do not work with the Web and the mobile check-in options that carriers hope more passengers will embrace.

The International Air Transport Association, which establishes global guidelines for the airline industry, announced a standard for two-dimensional bar codes last October, and expects that its 240 members will be using these bar codes exclusively by the end of 2010.

That will save the industry about $500 million annually, said Steven Lott, a spokesman for the transport association, and will also pave the way for wider adoption of electronic boarding passes, which several foreign carriers have already introduced.

Air Canada, for instance, has been using electronic boarding passes with its mobile check-in service since last September, for flights to domestic and international destinations except those in the United States. (According to an Air Canada spokeswoman, the airline is awaiting approval from the T.S.A. to expand its service.)

Other foreign carriers that use some type of digital boarding pass system include Japan Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines and Spanair.

As mobile devices become more sophisticated and applications for smaller screens evolve, airlines expect passengers will be able to use their phones, BlackBerrys and other mobile devices for a growing number of services, like rebooking a ticket after a missed connection, switching seats, checking standby status or seeking an upgrade.

“We kind of like the idea long term of having a kiosk in your pocket,” said Mark Bergsrud, senior vice president for marketing programs and distribution with Continental.

So far, he said, Continental has been happy with its test of electronic boarding passes and hopes to expand this option to other airports in the United States this spring. The airline also is looking into offering mobile check-in for reservations that include more than one traveler. Right now, it is only available for single-passenger itineraries.

Mr. Harteveldt of Forrester Research says mobile check-in is an option many travelers want.

“Our research shows that about 47 percent of frequent travelers are interested in using their phones for flight check-in, and about 42 percent said they’d be interested in using their mobile phone as a boarding pass,” Mr. Harteveldt said.

Even if mobile check-in requires that the traveler stop at a kiosk to get a boarding pass, he said, travelers still benefit from confirming their spot on the plane and getting priority for things like seat assignments, standby queues and upgrades on airlines that consider check-in time for these lists.

And if Mr. Harteveldt is right, and mobile devices become a crucial part of traveling, that means battery chargers and reliable wireless signals will be even more critical for a stress-free trip.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/technology/18check.html?scp=1&sq=boarding+pass&st=nyt

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