From boarding passes to checking in luggage, airlines are testing wireless technology in efforts to speed travelers through to their destinations.
Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Continental Airlines are all offering mobile ticketing programs at some airports. And United Airlines is testing radio frequency identification technology for some frequent fliers in Chicago.
“These are good moves by the airlines,” said Ernest Arvai, who founded and operates a consulting firm for the aviation industry. “With technology improving, more cellphones will be able to download boarding passes.”
Research indicates mobile ticketing will grow substantially, and airlines can use the technology to save money by cutting costs on paper, ink and magnetic strip equipment needed for paper tickets. And, Arvai said, mobile ticketing could endear airlines to flyers who find the technology convenient – particularly business travelers who may have to change flights or book another reservation.
Continental was the first airline to offer paperless tickets to passengers via a bar code that passengers can download to their wireless device through a personal e-mail account. Passengers can display the barcode on their handset to Transportation Security Administration workers to move through security checkpoints.
The airline started the program in late 2007 and it is available at airports in Austin, Boston, Cleveland, Houston, New York, San Antonio and Washington D.C.
American Airlines launched its mobile ticketing program last year at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., Los Angeles International and O’Hare International in Chicago.
According to American officials, tens of thousands have taken advantage of the program since November, and the airline is planning to expand the service to additional airports. To expand, the airline is working with the TSA.
Delta offers its program to travelers departing from Minneapolis and La Guardia in New York.
RFID in the offing
In another example of wireless experimentation by airlines, United launched an RFID test program earlier this month. The airline issued RFID tags for luggage and passenger check-in to 1,000 frequent fliers who depart from O’Hare. United is testing the program for six weeks in an effort to speed participants through the check-in process.
A passenger checks in via an RFID scanner
According to United officials, each tag contains an embedded chip with the traveler’s frequent flier information. Thus, users don’t have to wait in line and can simply drop off their luggage at a designated area. Workers with handheld devices scan the tags to check in the baggage and determine its destination. Travelers can print their boarding pass at home or at a kiosk at the airport.
Arvai said RFID has been discussed as an option to keep track of baggage since the 1990s, but the technology has been too expensive to implement.
“The price for the technology has come down, and it certainly works,” he said.
United officials said the airline has not yet determined if the program will be instituted at the Chicago airport or expanded after the testing period.
Arvai said United would have to invest in equipment – tags, printers and scanners – if the company decided to expand the program. The investment could be worthwhile, though, since it costs the airline about $75 to return a lost piece of luggage to a customer. It also could save time in locating luggage for a passenger who has missed a flight.
“Airlines need to improve baggage accuracy and this is one way to do it,” he said.
United officials also said they are interested in mobile ticketing but have yet to implement a test program.
International scope
Arvai said mobile ticketing in Europe is far more advanced there than in the U.S. However, he said domestic airlines can take advantage of the technology thanks to bar code standards enacted by the International Air Transport Association.
“Right now, it’s a matter of investing and pulling the trigger,” Arvai said of U.S. airlines using mobile ticketing.
One caveat: TSA officials will need to be trained in the technology.
Nonetheless, as airlines expand their online services – allowing passengers to print boarding passes at home – adding cellphones to the equation is a natural progression. However, Arvai said the program may not necessarily create new revenues for the airlines.
“I don’t think it will cause travelers to go from carrier A to carrier B,” he said.
