IATA announces mobile check-in standard

The widespread use of mobile phones for check-in purposes has come a step closer after a new global standard for the practice was announced this week.

Passengers may be able to use their mobiles to check-in at airports across the globe in the near future under the standard developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The standard dictates that airlines send 2D barcodes to customers' phones after the passenger registers their mobile number with the carrier in question during booking.

This barcode is then the traveller's boarding pass, which can be directly scanned from the phone screen and potentially save time, money and paper.

"Passengers want the convenience of self-service options in a paperless environment. This standard is an important step in getting rid of paper that bogs down processes and drives up costs," commented Giovanni Bisignani, director-general and chief executive of the IATA.

The announcement comes weeks after the IATA announced that it had placed its last ever order for paper tickets in anticipation of the global rollout of e-ticketing from June 1st 2008.

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