British Airways 'considering mobile ticketing'

British Airways is reportedly looking into the advantages of utilising mobile phones as a method of ticketing.

Officials at the airline told Computing.co.uk that trials could begin by the end of the 2007 in a bid to investigate the implications of sending barcodes via SMS to phones for check-in and boarding purposes.

Other airlines based in Japan, China and Sweden are currently trialling similar technology. Mike Cavanagh of British Airways said that the scheme needs to be proved to have benefits for both the carrier and passengers in order to be fully implemented in the future.

"We are looking at sending a barcode to a passenger's mobile phone using SMS, as well as enabling them to log into ba.com via a mobile and then have the barcode sent direct from the website," he commented.

A growing number of airlines are already using e-ticketing as a way of cutting costs and congestion at airports, with technology firm Amadeus recently reporting a rise in demand for e-ticketing equipment from carriers.

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