Mobiles 'offer powerful way of checking in'

Passengers may benefit from being able to use their mobile phones to check in at the airport in a number of ways, according to one expert.

While mobile-based check-in procedures have not yet been fully developed, such a method would expand the options available for flyers and take advantage of the fact that mobile owners carry their handsets with them all of the time, Joanne Donovan of Virgin Atlantic commented.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced last year that it was working with airlines to develop a form of mobile phone check-in that would make use of 2D barcodes. It expects to fully implement bar-coded boarding passes by the end of 2010.

Ms Donovan stated: "The fact that most people have a mobile phone and it is with them most of the time indicates it would be a powerful way to check them in by sending them a boarding card that could be read direct from the phone, as well as offering them up-to-date departure information such as gate numbers".

E-ticketing and self-service check-in procedures have risen in popularity among passengers in recent times. An IATA survey conducted last year indicated that 89 per cent of flyers prefer e-tickets to paper tickets, while 69 per cent have used check-in kiosks in the past.

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